Zoro and Tashigi: Hard Lines
by Abigail Skywalker
Summary: Tashigi has never really been the type of Marine to allow herself to get distracted from training by any man, but after a bizarre accident she finds that she's stuck on a pirate ship! She starts to see there is a lot more to this unruly crew than what first meets the eye. But worst of all she is having second thoughts about the one man she had at first vowed to kill. Zoro/Tashigi x
1. Getting Carried Away

**Chapter 1: I don't own One Piece in any way.**

**ATTENTION!**

**Hello People! I have decided after a lot of deliberation to make my original story 'Tashigi's Heart' into two stories. I got so many comments that people wanted to read about a romance forming between the two so I decided I'll spit the story. This one will be about Zoro and Tashigi's interests... forming rated M, while the other one will still be very much following canon and telling the story we all love so well from Tashigi's point of view and that will remain a T just to be safe. **

**Whereas Tashigi's heart was very much in line with the Canon, Hard Lines will start at Punk Hazard and then strongly deviate from the Canon's present course into an AU Story. :D**

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**So in essence this is 'Tashigi's Heart' part 2 And I'll be calling it Hard Lines.**

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Hard Lines: Getting Carried Away

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_All I could hear was the sound of snow being stamped on under foot. I just managed to open my eyes, and all I could see were Footprints. My arm right arm felt numb as if it hadn't been used for ages and hands were dangling down infront of me. Why were they dangling? _

"_Wh-Where am I?" I look down. I was being carried ... over the shoulder ... down someone's back … he has kantana's strapped to his side... Wait. Three..._

_IT'S ZORO! _

"Wh- Wh- Wh- What are you Doing?!" I yelled hitting his back. "No! Stop! This is embarrassing! Put me down!" I felt his arm tighten around my stomach preventing me from falling off. _Quick take a breath, don't run out.__ Woah, he__'s__ so__ strong. _

"Shut up! This is no time for that kind of crap!" He spun my body a bit to the side. "Look!"

I glanced in the direction he had pointed me and caught my breath at what I saw. The purple dense cloud was seeping into the room in deathly billows of swirls and curling.

"The deadly gas is flowing into the Biscuit Room!" I shook my head to try and clear my blurry eyesight, but then had to make sure my glasses didn't fall off.

_Why are we still in here?_ "Oh no! It'll fill up B Building in no time!"

"Now you know." Zoro grumbled. "So Shut up! You're causing me a lot of trouble!"

_Well if I was causing him trouble why didn't he just put me down then? Why were we still in the Biscuit Room anyway? We had been right by the exit when we had started the Snowy Battle?_

Snowy Battle, I looked sideways at my wound inflicted into my right shoulder. "Ah!" _He must have already wrapped it up._

"Now, what do you want?!" _What did I want? Umm, … hang on, __where is he going__?_

"The Exit isn't that way!"

"What?!" Zoro paused his mighty run and started off in another direction. "You should've told me sooner!"

I tried to focus on relaxing and letting my body enjoy the rest, but I was way to uncomfortable.

_What had Zoro been thinking? __Why did he even feel the need to save my life in the first place? If I pass out again what would he do? Would he just hand me over to my crew or would he?... My crew! __They __can't see me like this! _

"Put me down before we catch up with my people!" I felt his shoulder tightening and his muscles twitching beneath me.

"Why do you have so much pride!?" Zoro started grumbling. "I can just throw you away if you want!"

_Blast it! I hate it how he __know__s__ I would__n't__ be able to cover as much ground as __he__ would. And my eye sight still isn't focusing on things very well. The world keeps on going in and out of focus. So frustrating and ..._

"Ahhh!"

"What now?!"

_Wow!_ I reached out my left hand to touch it. "Is this the legendary sword – Shusui?!"

"Don't touch it!" Zoro shouted. "Shut up and just hold on, you sword geek!"

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_Tap tup tap tup tap. __Tish tish tish clup. _The sound of Zoro's feet hitting the floor of the B building and the three swords at his hip clashing together._ His right foot is landing heavier than his left because he's carrying me on his right shoulder and his swords are on his right hip. It was the only thing I could hear in these halls. Other than his footsteps __and his swords there was__ no other sound. We weren't talking. __Every time__ one of us opened our mouths the other would say something mean and sharp. So we __had __mutually, silently,__ agreed to continue __the rest of the journey in silence, __and we both decided this by remaining silent__. _

_My shoulder was still in agony, but Zoro had managed to tie it up tight enough not to become a bother. It was almost too tight, but not enough to cut off circulation to my arm. This tightness was a good thing I didn't feel the pain of it bouncing back and forth across Zoro's back. I held onto his red raw silk scarf that he had around his waist to stop my arms from swinging, and it worked. _

_He had been running for a little while now with me on his back, and he still didn't sound out of breath, or show any signs of feeling tired. Be he a pirate or not, it was good and very beneficial to have such a man to rely on. A person who will go back for his comrades even if it means putting his own life at risk. I still don't understand why he would choose to come back for me. It's not as if I had ever done anything for him. Zoro is really something quite strange. _

_I wish he wasn't a pirate, if he had been a marine he would have been really incredible and … _

_**No! There I go respecting him again! Stop it! He's a pirate! Just focus your mind on the here and now. What has been done and what there is yet to do. First there is.. is … ?**_

His had lifted up my legs to find a better place to hold me.

_What is he doing? Is his hand on my … **no**! **Don't even think it.** He is simply carrying you, and he saved your life. You can't just go complaining because he's touching an area that you don't like being touched. Oh, my god this is embarrassing. _

_Okay! New subject! Surely we must be near C building by now, or near the R building. We can't still be... Why has Zoro stopped? _I twist my body around to see behind me. Zoro was just staring ahead into the passageway that was filled with...

"It's not this way! Go back, go back!" _What is he waiting for?_

"It's only gas – how is it outpacing me?!" Zoro complained.

"Because you went the wrong way!" I yelled in frustration. _How dense can one man be?_

_I do hope we can get out of here in time. I would never have thought I would have to be saved by a pirate from such a ridiculous situation. It was just unthinkable. _

_What did I do to deserve such humiliation? _

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**I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I'll enjoy writing it. Please review.**

**:D**


	2. Lost with Zoro

**Chapter 2: I don't own One Piece in any way.**

**Well well, it really has been a long time since I updated this hasn't it. My excuse is that Christmas time and January is a very busy time for me. But the time around Feb the 14 is strangely very unbusy…**

**:O This that weird?**

**Episode 617. What happens in this episode? **

**(Nami, Sanji, Robin, and the G5 are bringing the children back down the tunnel that Zoro and Tashigi just came from.)**

**(Law and Smoker are fighting against Marine Vergo) **

**(Chopper and G5 are carrying the hurt girl down the corridors.)**

**(Caesar melds with poisoness gas and kills all his followers.)**

**(Usopp talks to Caesar's men and speaks about the awesomeness of Luffy.)**

**(Luffy smashes Caesar and makes a massive hole and exit.)**

**You know what… in episode 619 when Chopper, the G5 and Brook where running from the gas. You know how Brook can run on water, the G5 were infront of him and carrying the girl and Chopper. Does that mean they could run on water too?**

**But now that I think about it. All the straw hats can run as fast as Brook. So what the hell happened to his awesomeness?**

**So, anyway this is where I shall deviate from the cannon. Wish me luck. :D**

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**Hard Lin****es**: Lost with Zoro

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"You're lost again aren't you?"

"Be quiet, something's coming."

I srained my ears to hear whatever it was that Zoro was hearing so well, but I heard nothing. I was just about to say that I couldn't hear anything when…

"BOOM!"

Behind us there was a huge explosion and a sudden suction of wind we were both whipped off our feet (Zoro's feet) and into the pipe at the far end of the hall.

We were hurtled at mind-boggling speeds in absolute darkness, and I couldn't tell which direction was up or down. I felt Zoro's strong hand grab my coat as we fell and I felt relief as we landed on a slope, which seemed to have a slow incline and we slid to a stand still.

It was pitch back, but I had a torchlight I always carried around with me inside my coat. I got it out and turned it on.

Zoro stood up and looked around. We were in what looked like a tunnel of death. I stood up as well and checked my arm. I tried moving my fingers, but the cold must have gotten to them because they didn't move. _Maybe it is because I landed on them strangely._

"Where on earth are we?" I said.

The corridor was black and gloomy and in the distance I could still see nothing, and it wasn't because my glasses were a bit broken, the tunnel just went on.

"It doesn't seem to end?" I speak into the silence.

_When was Zoro going to say anything? _

"Could you at least say something?"

"Do you hear that?"

I was about to say no when I heard a thudding boom sound echoing down the huge tunnel in the dark.

"Where is that coming from?" I closed my eyes and strained my ears to try and tell.

"No idea." Zoro turned back to me and pointed in both directions. "So which way shall we go?"

"I… I don't know? I can't even see where we came out from. There is no indication that this tunnel even existed in the research that I was able to get on this place." I leaned against the tunnel wall.

_Blast is all! Why did I have to get lost with this idiot… Again? And why does my arm not hurt? This is not good at all._

"Come on." Zoro and pulled me away from the wall.

"Damn it! Let go!"

"What the hell is wrong with your arm? It's freezing!" He pulled the torch out of my other hand and held it up.

"That's because I'm cold."

"No it's a lot more than that." I couldn't feel what he was doing to my arm, but I got a good look at it as he moved it up and flashed the light on it. It was going frosty as if in after affect of Monet's bite attack. All I knew was that I would most probably lose consciousness and freeze soon if I wasn't careful.

"Can you move your arm?"

"No."

"Any of your fingers?"

"No."

"Right." Zoro sounded pissed off for some reason as if my shoulder being like this was my fault. "We had better get going."

"It's alright." I said before he could throw me back over his shoulder again. "I think I can walk by myself."

"If your sure." I nodded. "Fine then, but do keep up. I don't want to come back for you because you decide that you want to take a nap and lie down." He turned towards his right and started running in that direction.

"Oi Zoro! That's my torch! Give it back!"

"Well keep up."

It wasn't very long until my arm was so cold I could barely touch it. But I wasn't going to give up now. No Way! And I wasn't going to ask for help either.

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After fifteen minutes or so I couldn't quite tell we were finally outside and Zoro's strange wind creating maneuver seemed to disperse the clouds of poisonous gas in a chilling gust.

My hands were too cold even to tell whether they had been hurt or not, so I took the gloves off to check. My fingers on my uningured hand were white and the fingers on my other hand were white and purply black.

_Definitely not good._

Behind us, from the tunnel we just came out from, came a thunderous screaming sound, and smashing through what remained of the entrance came Caesar flying over our heads and coming to a grinding halt just before he reached the ocean. He made everything he grazed over turn into what looked like a purple stone.

"Zoro, he has the devil fruit powers of a gas gas man. He looks like he has absorbed the gas of the island."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Step back and don't get close." I did that, but before I could tell from what direction it was coming from something crashed down at my feet.

"What the hell!" He looked up to the top of the Strawhat's ship. "FRANKY! Keep your parts on!"

"OI! ZORO! THAT WAS A SUUUUPPPPER HIT WASN'T IT!"

"I wasn't watching." He pointed to the deflated Caesar Clown. "Didn't you see this old geezer lying here!"

"OH! SORRY ZORO! COULD YOU PASS BACK MY SUUUUPER SHIELD!"

I looked back at the fallen weapon. I couldn't tell whether it was supposed to be a weapon or a toy. _The colours were just so bright. _Zoro picked it up and threw it back to him and then turned his attention back on the odd, creepy, child experimenting scientist in the dirt.

"Oi?" Zoro looked back at me. "Do you have sea prism hand cuffs by any chance?"

My mind was blank for a second and then… "Yes I do!" I bent down and pulled my shoe off.

"You wear cuffs on your ankles?"

"That's the easiest place to carry them and it doesn't bother me because I'm not a devil fruit user." I was just able to unlock them with my key and then stand up and step forward, but my vision became really blurry for a few seconds.

"Do you want me to do it?" Zoro held out his hand and I gave him the handcuffs. It wouldn't be much help if I fainted on top of him.

_I sat down and watched Zoro doing my job. What a horrible day this is. At least we can take Caesar into custody._

I took a slow breath, and all of a sudden my vision was grey and the ground hit my head.

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"Oi!" I heard Roronoa Zoro's voice calling me. "Oi! wake up! Marine Woman! Get up already!"

I tried to move or just shift a little bit, but every movement seemed impossible. "I can't." Well at least my mouth works. I tilted my head slightly and noticed I could move that too. "Where is Caesar?"

"I've already got him onto the ship."

"No. That's not right. We're going to take him in to be trialled, and executed."

"Yeah, I'm sure what with the way you can carry your own weight you'll be just fine."

A huge, thick, heavy cough escaped my lungs and shook my cold body, and again all I could see for a few seconds was a grey landscape.

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He was dragging me through the ship, and despite my anger and will to want to fight I could do nothing as I slowly felt myself slip back into that almost unconscious state.

"Ummm, let go of me." I tried to mumble, but no words came out. I tried pushing him away from me with my one good hand, but I'd have had an easier time trying to get a cat to push over a horse. He dropped me to the floor of some room and started moving things around fast somewhere out of sight. Then a thought suddenly hit me.

_What if I die here? What if Zoro is the last person I get to see? How depressing._

He pulled me upright again, and not for the first time I admired how strong he seemed to be.

_What's he doing now? Taking off the bandage?_

_My eyes feel really sore all of a sudden and I close them briefly letting them rest. I am numb. I can't even feel the floor I am sitting on. _

I heard a tearing sound and opened my eyes to see Zoro ripping the sleeves off my coat as he pulled the coat off.

"What are you doing?" I managed to get out.

Instead of answering he lifted me up and swung me into what I could now see was an enormous bath. The shower was on but the plug wasn't in. The water was warm and had a heavy flow. And to my horror as he ripped my shirt's sleeve in half I saw the real damage to my arm. It was a dazzling colour combination of purple, white, and yellow.

Of course I needed to get as warm as possible and Zoro had done the best thing for me. I shouldn't feel the need to complain at all it wasn't like I could use my ship anymore.

_There was still one question… Why? Why did he keep on taking pity on me, helping me, and saving me?_

"Why?" I muttered.

"Just stop talking and focus on defrosting." He glared down at me and turning on the manuveuble showerhead he kept it at a low heat and aimed it directly on my shoulder. My mind started clearing as the cold water felt warm to me as it came through my clothes and soaked my skin.

"What … have I ever done … to deserve … your pity?" I said between breaths. Zoro frowned down at me and shook his head.

"I have never done anything in life that I would regret. If I let you die now I would regret it."

_He is such a weird person…_

_What an odd reason._

_What a noble reason._

_No. there is no way in hell that he couldn't have done anything he regrets doing. That is just not possible in life._

"Liar." I breathed out, and tried to focus on the ceiling past Zoro's head. He suddenly jerked my body upright again and disturbed my restful body.

I looked down at the water. Some of it was a ghastly purple colour. Obviously, I had not escaped from being touched by the poisonous air.

"For someone who want's to collect the world's greatest swords you sure do have a strange way of going about it." He slapped the side of my face when I closed my eyes again.

"What?" I said feeling dizzy and startled.

"Stop going out of your way to die." He slapped my cheek again.

"Stop hitting me." I managed to growl out. I felt too tired to raise my voice any higher.

"Stop closing your eyes and trying to die when I've put the time and effort into saving you five times." My eyes widened at that.

"Five times!" I suddenly felt very alive and angry. "You haven't saved me five times."

"No you're right this will be the seventh no the eighth, but it has been five times for just today." He smirked at me. "Well done, a new personal best I've never had to save just one person that many times in one day."

"Shut up. You're most certainly lying."

"Nope… now let me see… I didn't cut you by accident when you jumped out on me today."

"That was because you were cutting down my men!"

"I defend my crew. You defend yours."

"You can't count that as saving me."

"I spared your men's and your life at that time it definitely counts." He turned the heat up a bit and my shoulder started to sting.

He continued, "Then after you had been bragging about bringing the Harpy woman down, when you had gotten yourself bitten…." He poked at my shoulder, but I still couldn't feel it. "Then after the battle when you decided to face plant the snow a make a new nesting place, and then when we were thrown upwards by the wind in the corridors, and then outside when you pulled your 'I'll sleep anywhere I want' ideals."

"I didn't do it on purpose." _Damn him… I'm so embarrassed. Why did he have to be the one to do this?_ "I'll give you four, but the first one doesn't count."

"Okay, but what about this one."

"This one counts as part of the fourth one." _Wait a minute, why am I even talking to him like this. This is not professional, I am above this sort of behaviour._

I'm still angry. "And besides it's not like it's been one-sided. I've saved you before too."

"Really?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"One, when you didn't pay me back for my glasses."

"Wait a moment. I did pay you! And you gave me my money back!"

"So, … I saved you some money. Two, when Smoker and I didn't focus on capturing you in Alabasta."

"Well you were at first, but then your priorities had to be straightened out." Zoro added.

"And third, when I ordered all my men to give the strawhats directions into the centre of town to find the bomb."

"That was you? But technically that doesn't count, because we were trying to save the stupid civilians."

"And fourth, when all of you strawhats were out cold in the streets just sleeping in the rain. I gave a out a temporary order that you could not be taken into custody."

"You what?"

"I personally prevented your capture, when you were all unconscious."

_Oh….shhhh. he didn't know. Of course he didn't know. He was asleep. I hope he doesn't figure out what else I did._

"Oh." Zoro leaned back. He sounded shocked. He used his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I didn't know that."

_What the hell was I thinking? He didn't need to know that. No one needed to know that. It's an embarrassment to everything I stand for. _

"Well thank you, Marine." I felt his hand patting the top of my head, but when I looked up to glare at him, Zoro's expression was not sarcastic. It was pleasant and friendly. _Why does he look like that?_

I glared at nothing in particular and turned my head to the side. I needed to feel angry about something. "My name is Tashigi not Marine, and I'm a captain. Got that!"

_Wait… why the hell did I just give him my name for. I've never given my first name away to some pirate. Not that Zoro's just some pirate… but.. NO! I didn't even give it when we first met. When I mistook him for someone else. What the hell am I doing?_

I looked up at Zoro again, and saw him smiling. _Why was he smiling? That can't be good._

"Yes, sir." He gave me a mock salute and rolled his eyes. "Or is it Ma'am."

"It's Captain." I could definitely feel something hot spreading across my face and it wasn't water.

"Well at least it looks like you have some colour back now." He said and pinched my cheek.

"Let go…" turned away from him again.

"In all seriousness, Captain." He looked straight in the eyes. "I didn't know, and let me thank you from all of us, for not doing your job."

"You!" I lifted up my good hand and pointed at him. "... Don't speak of this to anyone."

_What the …! What am I now taking him into my confidence._

"You have my word."

_That's just great. This is just getting stupid! Why are you getting so intimate? Why don't you introduce him to your mother next Tashigi!?_

I tried shrugging my good shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining, but wouldn't it be best if you hadn't brought me aboard your ship. I could sabotage it."

"What you?" Zoro shook his head. "You're an honourable person. You wouldn't do that."

My preplanned retaught caught in my throat. _How does he know what I would or wouldn't do._

"Don't underestimate me. I can do some pretty horrible things when I'm in a bad mood."

"Try it." His dark eyes goaded, "You've already seen the things I do when I'm in a bad mood."

"Like what? Sheath your sword and run."

He dropped the hose, turned the water off and reached forward and grabbed my good arm and the hair at the back of my head and pulled me upright and out of the bath. "There was a good reason for that you know woman!"

I felt my heart skip a beat as I felt a menacing omen approaching. But I couldn't seem to stop myself from talking. "Oh wait a minute… I heard something like this before… It's because I look like your dead girlfriend!"

"I told you before she was not my girlfriend!"

"Somehow I doubt that. Considering how you mumbled her name while you were unconscious in Arabana and how you always blush when you talk about her, I'm surprised that not more people know your tragic story, if you wanted I could add it to the back of your Wanted Poster."

"She never was!" He was blushing. Big time. It was quite funny really.

"Yes, she was! Look in the mirror!"

"No, she wasn't!"

"And I say, I can tell she was! Otherwise you wouldn't be so hung up about it." I could feel a smile spread across my face. He was so clueless when it came to love. And I thought I was bad.

"If she had been, I would have done this." He grabbed my shirt, which was barely holding together, and lifting me up slammed me into the bathroom door. My shoulder throbbed in pain for a second and then my breath caught in my throat as his lips literally captured and wrapped up mine in a soft, warm, but forceful kiss.

For a few seconds my face was hot, my hands frozen in place (not because of the cold). My mind went blank, causing my limbs to go limp and for those few seconds I just accepted it. But then my self preservation system kicked in and my good arm started pushing him. But when he pulled away I was shocked to think how pleasant his lips felt against mine, and how they continued to remain connected until his fully broke off.

He stepped away from me, letting go, looking directly at me.

_Too much…._

_Too much was happening all at once._

_How had I allowed him to do this? I hadn't. He had just taken it. Had I?_

_I suddenly felt very aware of everything. I was alone, injured, with a pirate aboard his ship. If he wanted to… he could do anything to me and know one would be any the wiser. _

The hot feeling I had experienced just a few moments ago, now turned to freezing again.

_What was he going to do? It wasn't like I could force him to stop if he wanted to._

"Yeah… So … that's what I would have done." He said and the pushing me gently aside away from the door, walked out and then shut it without a thought of delay.

I stood there in shock for a few seconds trying to think back to why he had needed to kiss me in the first place. _'If she had been, I would have done this.'_ What sort of stupid half reason is that to kiss a woman!?

I glanced to the door and saw the memory of Zoro leaving it.

I sat down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling and saw Zoro leaning over me looking at me with worried eyes.

I closed my eyes, and all I could see in my inner vision was Zoro.

_Why had I allowed him to get to me like this? This wasn't how it started. This wasn't how I imagined it would turn out._

_But it was thanks to Zoro that I am at all alive. _

_Thanks to Zoro that … I now had totally wet clothes, and nothing to change into._

I stepped to the door and turned the handle and pulled on it. It wouldn't open. I pulled it again. And it wouldn't open. I reached up to my glasses and realized they had fallen off at some point.

_Has Zoro locked me in here? _

"ZORO! COME BACK AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN! STOP RUNNING AWAY LIKE A COWARD!"

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**:D**

**Well I hope you guys liked it. It was fun to write.**


	3. Saving the Children

**Chapter 3: I don't own One Piece in any way.**

**And oh my goodness it's been two whole months since updating… **

**Please forgive me. **

**:D Sorry!**

**.**

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**P.S. This chapter will be told from third person's point of view.**

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Hard Lines: Saving the Children.

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The sky was a dark and stormy, promising by the looks of it the calamity of torrential rain that might just consume both Islands. Zoro had come out on deck after seeing to Tashigi and looked back to the island. While he had been gone it seemed that Franky had taken quite a good beating, but he still seemed to be enjoying himself. And so Zoro left him to it and instead of staying on the ship he decided to go back into the mountainous fortress to find the others.

Ten minutes of later a massive cart appeared carrying pirates, samurai, children, navi soldiers, and Ceasar's helpers all the same. There was a great sigh of relief that followed them all as the tunnel behind them collapsed as they came to a stop.

At the sight of the extra reinforcement the two strangers that were fighting Franky decided to try and make a dash for it, but were thwarted by the skills of the navigator of the strawhats Nami, and the sharpshooter of the strawhats Usopp. Upon seeing their attempted escape, the Pirate Trafalgar Law separated their heads from their bodies intending on leaving a very clear message to whomever came after them.

It didn't seem long before everyone seemed to celebrating in the simply fact that they were alive and had not become one of the lost purple statues that had been force to be the fate of so many men that had followed just a few paces after them. While many others mourned in the loss of friends and brothers and in some ways the loss of trust in their once perceived hero of justice Caesar.

The Captain Monkey D. Luffy seemed extraordinarily carefree and happy (to all those who did not know him), and upon his orders a banquet was issued where all could eat to their hearts content. But the sweetness of victory and peace was short-lived.

'BANG!' 'BANG!' 'BANG!' 'BANG!'

"What the hell is that noise!?" Luffy mumbled as loudly as he could with meat still in his mouth.

Heads all turned to look in the direction of the sea. Off in the distance they could all see six battleships heading their way firing at the Island and coming closer by the minute.

"Oooooooooooaaaahhh!" Luffy grinned and pulled his strawhat back onto his head. "You think they want to fight!"

Usopp turned back round again to glance back at his well earned meal and then back out to this so-called new enemy. "More marines just showing up," He sighed, "I just can't take a break." and started gathering up all his food to take back with him onto the Thousand Sunny.

Luffy grinned. "Or maybe they were annoyed because they missed out on all the fighting." Luffy's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Or maybe they're after all our meat." He nodded to himself and started cracking his knuckles together. "I'll beat the crap out of any bastards that try to steal any o….!"

"IDIOT!" Nami punched him. "THEY CAN'T SEE FROM THAT DISTANCE WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO FIGHT CESAR THEY WERE ON HIS SIDE!"

"WHAT!" Luffy turned back to Smoker. "YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH THAT GUY?"

The glare he received back was answer enough, but Smoker replied anyway. "YEAH RIGHT! AND I HEARD YOU WERE GOOD FRIENDS WITH CROCODILE BEFORE THE PRINCESS OF ALABASA PAID YOU TO TAKE HIM OUT!"

"What? Vivi?... WHAT IDIOT TOLD YOU THAT!" Luffy yelled.

"SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"

"We should send out a cease fire signal." Law spoke into the madness.

Smoker nodded, he had to get the message out somehow. '_Where was that den den Mushi? It would appear that Tashigi did get her message to head quarters out fast enough.'' _He stood up and immediately looked around for his young Captain. _'Thinking of which, where is that girl? She should have been able to navigate her way out of the mountain by now. The gas had basically gone.'_ Smoker turned to bark orders out to his men and the children started to cry at the loud cannon fire.

"What's up Smokey?" Luffy asked noticing his hesitation.

Smoker seemed to be unbothered by the question as one of his men appeared with what he needed. He looked back up to the pirates. "I will allow you to escape, your work here has been commendable, but I will be taking the custody of missing children and Caesar.

Law raised his voice. "Caesar will be coming with us, that was the deal."

"Deals need to be changed from time to time." Smoker said. "It would be better for everyone here if the scum was dealt with by us."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT CAEASR! BUT YOU'RE NOT TAKING THE CHILDREN! NOT AFTER WHAT YOU PEOPLE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO THEM!" Nami shouted.

"Hey!" one of the marines called out. "We would never have allowed this to happen to these kids if we had known what was going on here!"

"Yeah!" Shouted another, "Who do you think you are!? Caesar is more like a pirate than a marine."

"Shut up you idiots!" Zoro's low voice seemed to get everyone's attention. "It's a good deal. The Marines should take the kids. We could never fit them all on the Thousand Sunny for that long anyway."

Smoker nodded in appreciation to him, but Zoro continued. "However, there is something else…."

"Zoro!" Luffy held Nami back by looping his arm around her a few times. "Luffy let me go! I need to give him a piece of my mind."

Luffy smiled. "Don't worry Nami. The G5 people can take care of them!"

Nami glared at Luffy. "No it's you that doesn't understand Luffy! The navi does not and will not care about a couple of missing children or their parents. We have to take them back, because if we don't they will probably end up somewhere else in another lab."

Ignoring them both completely everyone else's eyes were focused on Smoker's face which seemed to pale at Zoro's softly (unheard by any other ears) spoken words. His mild look of annoyance turned into a look of rage and warning.

"Hum." Robin looked at them both with new keen interest. '_What did I just miss? I wonder what Zoro just said to get the white chaser so worked up?'_

Smoker scowled as if the mere sight of Zoro was an offense to him, "Very well you may have him, but listen boy..." He stepped towards Zoro somehow seeming to tower over him. "…you had better keep to your word if you fail you will have hell to pay. And not even your captain will be able to bring you back from the place I will send you."

Smoker lifted the den den mushi on his wrist and spoke into the voice transponder. "Hold your fire." He walked away from the group. "This is SMOKER. Hold your fire, there are civilians in the area, and we have secured…." his voice faded as he moved away from the rest of the group.

Luffy looked between Zoro and Smoker utterly confused as to what had just transpired, but Law didn't seem all that bothered by the whole affair and nodded in understanding. The rest of the stawhats climbed aboard the Thousand Sunny along with their new acquaintances, raised anchor and set off. Meanwhile the marines set aside their prisoners ready for collection and signalled for the children and their protectors on the large tanker to be let out. And so they both moved off in their separate ways.

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Nami sighed feeling refreshed and not too bad about how things seemed to be going strangely well. There had been no extra fight as she had at first anticipated and the children would now be taken back to their homes. She hoped. She scowled at the idea of the marines not following through with their promises. But… what could she have don't for them anyway? Children that age don't remember where they grew up and how to get there. It only made sense now that she looked at it for the Navi to take them back, they had the resources to track back to where they had all originally come from. Now all she had to do was take a calming and warm bath and wash away all of her new troubles that were thrown her way in life through occupational hazards and…or simply brought in by her troublesome captain.

"Jeese! Anyone would think he is trying to get himself killed." As she walked into the room she tripped over something that seemed to be lying in the middle of the floor just as she turned the light on. "What the..!" Nami sat up and gasped in shock. Right there in front of her was the young Marine Captain that she had seen just a few hours before.

'_What the hell is the Marine lady doing here? How did she get on board?'_ She reached out and touched her forehead. '_she's freezing too._' Nami pulled her away from the doorway and stepped back through it.

"Chopper! Get over here!" Nami shook her head puzzled as to why the Marine would… _'I wonder how long she's been like that now._' Nami looked down at her worriedly. She noticed her right shredded shoulder and began to consider if she might even be dead.

"Chopper! Come here quickly!"

The first to appear was not Chopper, but Zoro, and he came to a sudden stop when he saw Nami standing outside the bathroom.

He stopped and took a few paces back. "Zoro?" Nami spoke up. "Do you know anything about why this woman is here bleeding to death in our bathroom?"

"Oh, crap."

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**So what do you guys think so far? I don't particularly like this chapter. I didn't really feel in the mood for writing it either, but I needed it as the in-between chapter to set the stage for the next ones.**

**Please leave a review! :D**


	4. Taken Hostage

**Chapter 4: **

**HELLO! ONE PIECE READERS! **

**This time I decided I really wanted to update as soon as possible. So Enjoy. :D**

**Thank you all for reviewing! It means so much to me that you will tell me what you like or dislike, or that you notice the tiny details in my story that I didn't think anyone would notice. Thanks guys. **

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Hard Lines: Taken Hostage

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There was this beautiful feeling of warmth all around me. I felt like I was floating in feather clouds of peace and comfort. I could smell the soft scent of coconut oil and tangerines which pulled me out of my dreamy state into confusion. My head felt heavy and my lips felt swollen. In fact every bone in my body felt more relaxed and sedated than I had ever been in my life.

_'What am I lying on?'_ I opened my eyes. I was lying on my stomach on the most comfortable bed I have ever had the luxury to sleep on. My head was resting on the very edge of a huge pillow that should give anyone a major neck ache if they really used it as such. I twitched my fingers and they moved slowly inside the blanket sheets. I relaxed again and closed my eyes. '_So comfortable. This is such a nice place.'_

_'Where am I?'_ I opened my eyes again, this time in wide awake shock, and pushed myself up off the bed and rolled over. It looked like someone else's room. There were books stacked up on one side and maps, paintings, and drawings on the other. It looked clean, but at the same time very used and weathered, an artist's room perhaps.

"So, you're awake I see." I turned to the voice and saw the young woman with the fiery ginger hair, the cat-burgerler Nami of the strawhats.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" I sat up and pulled up the covers. It was only then that I realized that I wasn't wearing my own clothes, but a light silky petticoat by the look of it. _'Daaah! I look like some sort of...'_

She answered my thoughts, "Your clothes you were wearing beforehand were soaked through, and you had a pretty strong fever. It's lucky for you I found you when I did. A few more hours lying like that in this cold weather would have probably killed you..."

I looked at her again and noticed she was sitting on a chair right next to the bed pealing a tangerine in her hands. _'That smells amazing. Fresh Fruit. I could really go for one right now.'_

"You were in a horrible state, and Chopper had to drug you up to try and get rid off a lot of the infections." She smiled at me. "This is my room and that's my bed. I hope you are finding it comfortable." It was obvious that she already knew the answer, probably having picked the bed itself because she already new how comfortable it already was.

"Thank you." I said. "Um... Where I my clothes?" I asked feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Well your boots and trousers are drying in the laundry area, but everything else was pretty ripped up so we chucked it out."

"Wait! Where is my sword?" _'How could I have forgotten it?'_

"I think Zoro has it." she finished eating her fruit and leaned forward and placed her hand on my head. "So you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." I'm lying of course. I feel very well rested, but not fine. I try to sit up straight and push the covers back.

"No not yet." the navigator pushed me back onto the bed. "Doctor's orders."

"I need to get my sword."

"Well, then I tell Zoro to bring it in here."

I sighed in a fake relief trying to make myself feel more positive about the entire situation, but the idea that Zoro had been in charge of taking care of my blade did not sit well with me. I ran my fingers through my hair and it was then that I noticed that it was all down. _'Wait a minute... does that mean the entire strawhat crew might have seen me naked? No! Can it get any worse than this? Well... which one of them dressed me? Was it one of the girls or one of the guys? Oh crap!'_

"Um... were … have you been the one who was looking after me?"

"Me and Chopper, yes. The guys tend to be absolutely useless around a sick woman." she sighed shaking her head. "They fret and complain and don't offer much help at all. Even Robin can be a bit weird when it comes to trying to help a sick person... She has a dark sense of humour. "

"Oh, thank you." _'Thank god! It wasn't Zoro.'_

"Yeah you should thank me." Nami said pointing proudly at her chest. "If I hadn't been here Robin would have probably been able to convince the others that the only way to make sure to get rid of your fever was for everyone to take turns with sleeping with you."

_'What the hell?'_

"I told them that we didn't need to revert to such drastic measures because we have plenty of blankets, a heating system, and other equipment that would keep you warm."

"Thank you." I let a huge sigh of relief this time. _'Nico Robin is still really creepy.'_

"What's up with that sigh?" She grinned and poked my shoulder. "I bet you where hoping that Zoro might have slept with you to keep you warm?"

My mouth fell open. _'What the hell!?'_ "NO WAY! I'D PREFER TO DIE UPSIDE DOWN WITH NO CLOTHES ON THAN TO LET HIM DO THAT!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She waved her hand back and forth in front of her. "Don't worry, I was just teasing you."

"Don't do that again, please." Oh, my gosh this was exhausting.

"Okay, okay. But he did help me take your clothes off and hold you upright so that I could wash you and put this nighty on."

"What?!" My hands instintively pulled the covers of the bed up to my chin. '_No way! Zoro did see me naked!'_

"HAHAHAHA!" Nami slapped her knee with laughter. "Oh, my gosh you take everything so seriously!"

"That's not funny." I growled at her glaring.

"I know, but I just couldn't help it. I just had to see your reaction." she carried on giggling to herself. "By the way Robin did want me to tell you that she thought your sexy outfit in the cage was very attractive."

"That was when Smoker's soul had been put in my body."

"Oh... I see. Then you'll have to try it out again some time."

I felt my face heating up. "There is no way in hell I'll be doing that ever again. It's disgraceful. I hate showing that much cleavage." I covered my blushing face with my arms.

"Cleavage?" she smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Oh... you're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"Please don't hug me." I said with a very bored and annoyed tone. _'I do not feel like being hugged by someone who was just saying I had a good cleavage. Speaking of which, why is she just wearing a bikini? This is so freaking awkward.'_

"Oh, I see." she pulled back away from me. "You like girls and not guys, right?"

…... "Huh?" _'What the hell is she going on about?'_

"So if I and not Zoro were to flirt with you. You would like that right?"

"No. Of course not." _'What is wrong with these people they're all crazy!'_

"By the way you should know that you're are currently our hostage soooo... we could do anything we wanted and no one else would have to know." She put her left hand on my left breast and pressed down on it.

_'Hell no!_' I rolled away from her and fell off the right side of the bed and made a running dash to the door. I pulled it open and ran outside to the edge of the boat. The waves were high and were rocking the boat with a constant and vigorous energy.

_'Where were their lifeboats? Damn my eyes. I can hardy see anything within two meters of me.' _I'm sure I've been cursed sometime in my life. Bad things always seem to happen to me. Just another step later and my foot was hooked on something, and I tripped down a flight of stairs and landed in a pile of grass._ 'Grass? What is grass doing on a ship?'_

"Um... what are you doing out here?"

_'I recognize that voice.'_ I lifted my head up and saw right in front of me sitting against the inside of the ships bolster sides was Zoro.

"You!" I stood up shakily and pointed my finger at him. '_What had I been planning on saying to him again? Oh yeah._' "You kidnapped me!"

"Um." He looked away from me. "Not intentionally, idiot. You just fell asleep again, and when we took off you just so happened to be on the ship."

"Don't lie to me!" I felt really angry. "You locked me in the bathroom."

"..."

"You son of a.."

"You moron! The Bathroom door doesn't lock from the outside it locks from the inside. You were probably just too blind to see where the lock was."

"..." _'oh drat that makes sense. Why... why...' "_Why didn't you chuck me off when you all came aboard."

"I forgot you were there."

"Liar!" '_There __was__ no wa__y__ that he didn't know that I was on board or could have forgotten. Or could he?'_

"Excuse me!" I heard Nami call down from the balcony above. "Marine lady. You're a little underdressed."

I looked down at my thin ... silky ... night dress. '_Crap! I forgot I was wearing this.' _Instantly I tried to cover the plunging neckline and the high rise hem. _'damn it! I hope no one else is looking.' _

"Come back up here, and I can lend you one of my dresses." Nami offered.

"No thank you!"_ 'Come on think, Tashigi. You need to wear something.'_ I don't want to wear something provoative and that's probably what Nami would give me. The woman on this ship are creepy... so that would leave. I turned to the faker-sleeping Zoro. "Um, Roronoa Zoro please excuse me, but I need to borrow a shirt."

"You what now."

"Can I please borrow a shirt?"

"WHAT! No." He looked generally mortified by the idea.

"But I can't wear anything from that girl."

"Well then wear nothing. I don't care." He closed his eyes and leaned back pretending he was trying to sleep.

"You flithy..!"

"Shut up." He leaned forward. "Can't you tell I'm trying to sleep and your loud mouth is preventing that. I don't care what you look like."

"I don't dress to be looked at, I dress for myself, and I can't have her staring..." _'at me while I'm getting dressed.'_

"Oh... oh I see, so you're like that." Zoro stood up and scratched the back of his head. "That's awkward."

"NO I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" I could feel my face burning in fury and embarrassment. "Please just get me something that covers every…" Zoro started untying his red sash and took off his green coat. "What?"... _'is he doing?' _He held it out and pulled it over me. '_It was warm, well worn, and heavy, and it had a very distinctive smell that was in some ways … quite nice. __**Wait, what?**__ Well it was.'_

"It'll be big on you for now but wear it until I can find something better for you." He pulled both side fronts across my chest and quickly tied both with his red sash.

"Zoro? What are you doing to Tashigi?" Nami said while walking passed us .

"What does it look like? She was freaked out by you so she came to me."

"Well don't touch anything that is too..."

Zoro turned round briefly. "Shut up! And keep your perverted mind to yourself, Nami."

_'How the heck did this just happen? One minute I'm yelling at him and the next __he's dressing me up like an older brother would do for his sister. Or would he? I don't know. I don't have any brothers.'_ I look at the sleeves and they come over my fingers by about three inches. I look back at Zoro. He's shirtless and frowning as if he's seriously pissed off with me.

"Come on." He grabbed my wrist that was stuck in the sleeve and pulled me along. "I'll see if Luffy has something that can fit you."

"Luffy?"

"Yes. Why? You going to say that you can't wear clothes from a pirate captain?"

"No, I just didn't think he would want to lend me clothes."

"He'll be fine with it." Zoro took me to the strawhats apparent kitchen/dining hall where it seemed everyone else had been that whole time. "Hey guys the marine just woke up."

"Hey!" "Hiya!" "I'm glad you're alright!" "Did you sleep well?" "SUPER!" "Good to see you 'glasses'." They all seemed to come from everywhere at once the cacophony of noise that I could not even begin to answer. It seemed to be around lunch time, and the strawhats looked like they were having a really tasty feast!

"Hello Tashi..." Sanji swung around in the kitchen to look at me and dropped his pan at the sight. "Oi! YOU BASTARD! WHY IS THE BEAUTIFUL TASHIGI CHAN WEARING YOUR CLOTHES!"

"Because she was cold and didn't want to wear Nami's." Zoro answered.

"Huhuhuhmmm." Robin giggled away to herself.

"Well then she should be wearing MINE not yours."

_'What the …. is going on here?'_ I shook my head in confusion and then noticed how thoroughly I had disrupted their dinner. "I didn't want to bother anyone while you're all eating. I apologize."_ 'Hang on. Why am I apologizing? They are the ones who kidnapped me. They took Me Hostage!'_

"Oi Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Yebb! Wha'ssup lolo!" Luffy said through a mouthful of food.

"The Marine doesn't like women's clothing. Can she borrow yours? It would probably fit her better."

Luffy swallowed his mouthful and then burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"It's not that funny." I said.

After hitting the table in laughter a few times Luffy wiped his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, sure you can." He was still grinning weirdly.

"Thanks, … Um … What's up with you?" I asked.

"Don't ask." Zoro sighed.

"It's so exciting!" Luffy rocked back and forth on his seat. "We have our first two real hostages on our ship." He raised his glass to me and gulped the entire pint of 'whatever' down at once. "YEAH! Alright Sanji! Get me another!" He raised his glass up and chucked it at the chef.

"I'll right. I'll right." Sanji caught the glass and put it on the countertop. "I need to serve Tashigi first though."

"No. No. That's alright. I'm not that hungry." '_They are having a party because they have hostages? That's a bit awkward. It's just soooo... ' _

"See you guys." Zoro said walked back out through the door dragging me with him. I almost fell on top of him.

"Slow down I can't see where I'm going." The bottom of Zoro's robe seemed to be catching under my feet.

"Okay then." Zoro turned around and picked me up throwing me across his shoulder just like he did before a day or so ago.

"Zoro what...?!" He jumped off the balcony and I almost bit my tongue when we landed. He walked briskly to the guys quarters, opening the door he easily dropped me back down to my feet and started looking through someone's most probably Luffy's chest of draws.

It definitely looked like a guys dorm, and it smelled like one too. But all I found I could really focus on was Zoro's back. 'It was... _Wow. Just wow! He looks incredible.'_ I had to shut my eyes for a few seconds to try and shake off the strange enjoyment of the sight, but that didn't really help as everything that was surrounding me had only a few seconds ago been on Zoro's back as well. '_Come on Tashigi you stupid girl get your act together.'_

"Here." Zoro's voice pulled me back to the present he grabbed a few things that he thought would be good enough and chucked them on the bed next to him. "You can wear these."

"Thank you." I bent over them to pick them up and looked back at Zoro. _'Did he expect me to get dressed with him standing there staring at me?'_

"Are you going to go out?"

"No." Zoro looked at me. "We decided that you could wonder around the ship if you wanted too but you're not supposed to be left alone."

"Then could you turn around." I blushed having to ask such a question.

"Sure." and without any more conversation he turned round.

They were really comfortable his clothes and I found myself just watching Zoro's back while untying the sash around my waist. '_Gah! __What am I doing?'_ I turned around as well. He's more undressed than I am at the moment. '_N__ow is not the time, and __not ever for that matter__.__'_

"What exactly did Nami do to make you come sprinting out like that?" Zoro asked with his back still turned.

"Um... well..." _'How can I say this in a not insulting way?'_ "Um, I didn't like what she was talking about." I pulled off the turquoise silky nighty and dropped it to the bed. _'I'm glad I did have some underwear on, but I can't believe I'm totally top naked right now.'_ I glance around at Zoro my arms crossing over my chest. '_He's still not looking. That's good.'_

"So? What was it about?" Zoro asked again.

_'Can't he take a hint?'_ "Well, do..." _'what if he and Nami had a previous history together?'_

"Spit it out already."

_'Fine then.'_ "Do you think that Nami might be homosexual?"

There was a bit of a pause from him. "Makes sense. I have no idea what goes on in their room. For all I know they could be into each other." He yawned. "I don't really care."

_'I should have known he would give an answer like that.'_ "You haven't ever felt any attraction for one of them?" I pulled up the new black trousers to find that they were quite comfortable and stretchy.

"Why should you care if I have?"

"Well I don't but they are both attractive so I thought you might have perhaps... I don't know... been in a relationship with one of them?" I pulled on the tight t-shirt first and then put on the shirt.

"To have my balls pulled off or taxed until not even the One piece could pay the money back. I don't think so." He scoffed.

_'Did I miss out on something here?'_ I pulled my hair out from my shirt and it fell down my back to my waist. _'I had better find a way I can pull it back to stop it from blowing around.'_

"So what did she do?" Zoro asked again.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said turning around to face him to find he still had his back turned. "I'm done." I said.

He turned round and raised his eyebrows. "Huhf. Good?"

"Thanks. It does fit very well." I smelt the sleeves. "It's smells clean too."

"Yeah, well Sanji, and Nami are the domestic chores delegaters and everyone else just does what they say. When she tells Luffy to wash his clothes, he washes them, or Usopp does it for him."

"Right that makes a lot of sense. She does act very confident." I ran my fingers through my hair, and tried to feel a little more relaxed. "But she did creep me out earlier."

Zoro smirked. "Yeah, That's because she's a bitchy witch. Just ignore her. She's trouble." He took a few steps forwards and lifted up his clothes again wrapping the dark green robe around him and then tying on the red sash.

"Okay." _'Yeah thanks that's all very nice and all, but what is actually really going to happen here._ _What's going to happen to me?_ _What are their intentions? __I need to asked someone.__'_ "Um, Zoro. What exactly are you all intending on doing with me?" There was a long pause.

"Well that depends."

"On what?"

He looked back up at me and shook his head. "No need to look so worried. We don't plan on doing anything too you. We just used you originally as hostage to get custody over gas face... what's his name?"

"Caesar."

"Yep him." Zoro turned back his attention to tying his sash up and then slipped his kantana through a few spaces in it. "So... we'll probably drop you off somewhere near a marine bass in about two weeks I think it was. I don't remember the exact date Nami said it was likely to be."

I felt a wave of relief flood through me. _'So there wouldn't be any ransom notes or any deals to be made over me.' "_By the way, do you have my kantana Shigure in your keeping."

His hands came to rest on his own three. "Yes, but you won't be given it back until you are about to leave."

"What!"

"Why are you surprised? Would you give a pirate his own sword back if he asked for it, on one of your Navy ships?"

"No."

"Then there's your answer. I have no obligation to give it to you." He made his way to the door, stopped and looked back at me. He clicked his fingers and pointed out the door obviously indicating that he wanted me out. As I passed him he came out the door as well just a step behind me. He pulled the door shut and made his way back to that small area on the grass that he had been before.

"If you want something to eat just go and ask Sanji for some food." He put his hands behind his head and shut his eye.

"I don't feel very hungry. But thank you for your concern." Just as I had said that my stomach rumbled in complaint. _'__Great timing. __Just great timing.'_

Zoro grinned and opened his one good eye again. "I don't think your stomach agrees with you."

I turned my back around and decided that I might need to go to the kitchen. It was strange to be allowed to go anywhere on an enemy ship. The strawhats sure where strange pirates. _'I wonder where Zoro got that scar over his eye from.'_

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**Well, that's chapter 4. I hope you liked that. :D It turned out to be a very long one. **


	5. Welcome to the Thousand Sunny

**Chapter 5: **

**WOW! 28 Reviews already! Thanks guys! :D That makes me so happy.**

**I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am and demanding the next chapter. Here goes. **

**In this Chapter we will be reading the story from the third person point of view, and then back to Tashigi's point of view. Sorry I like to alternate a bit.**

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Hard Lines: Welcome to the Thousand Sunny.

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Zoro leaned back and really tried to get some more sleep as he had intended. But so far with the noisy idiots in one room and distracting thoughts in his mind he hadn't succeeded … yet. In fact he had been finding it hard to sleep at all the last 30 hours. He couldn't get the disturbing image of the Marine woman lying almost dead inside the bathroom out of his head. He had known she was ill and probably wouldn't do what she needed to do at the time, but he hadn't expected her to not even try to keep warm. She hadn't gone back into the shower at all, and her skin had gone a pale creamy-grey colour. The bite in her shoulder had bruised badly going a black-purple shade, and it hadn't stopped bleeding as he had thought it would, but rather it reopened when it had been heated up.

When he had come up to the frustrated and concerned Nami he had in truth been shocked to find the proud woman in a pool of her blood. It looked like she had just been murdered.

Zoro opened his eye, trying to get the image out of the dark corners of his mind, but as soon as that one had gone another from just a few moments ago came to mind. Her running out of the woman's room in the most impractical and unprotective clothing ever. He hadn't been surprised that she had wanted very different clothes. He couldn't understand why Nami and Robin tried so hard at showing off as much skin as possible without showing anything off... off... Yep, one day Sanji's dream might become true and the girls were just asking it to happen.

He wouldn't lie he did think that the marine woman looked good in the turquoise... thing... he didn't know what the girls would call it, they had some stupid names for a lot of their dumb ass clothes. But she was very different from the other two. He was used to Nami and Robin and other women around him showing their body off easily without any shyness, so her embarrassment at her 'lack of modesty' in the situation had confused him at first. It was almost refreshing to see a modest woman around.

Zoro sighed again, but he never knew what he was supposed to think or how to react when she was nearby, being both irritating and yet quite relatable as well she was the sort of woman that Zoro found … well he didn't know yet.

With the way she acted you'd think she was a child in a woman's body, which in some ways made him feel comfortable, at the same time awkward, and uncommonly protective of her. She was often so childish he felt like he was speaking to a child. The total opposite of Kuina who had been a child, but acted like a grown up. Not saying that Tashigi hadn't grown up... no... she had definitely developed.

Zoro rubbed the frown lines across the top of his head trying to get rid of a miner headache. Yes, He had noticed quite a few things from carrying her a couple of days ago that were the same, but also many things that were very different.

_She was wearing pink,_

_She had the same sword_

_She was a lot more... womanly... bigger ass and bigger... yeah, Next!_

_She had red glasses_

_She was just as annoying as he remembered, and_

_... Her hair was longer...much longer._

He had always assumed that she would just continue to look like Kuina, but she hardly looked like her at all now. He'd barely even recognized her at the first glance, the only thing that might have identified her to him were the glasses or her usually colourful shirt.

_'Why was it that all the women I know were growing their hair really long?'_ he thought to himself.

He had gotten quite an eyeful earlier both when she had crashed through the doorway and another whilst falling down the stairs. He did not like this. He had seen way to much of the marine woman already, and now when he was supposed to be enjoying resting all he seemed capable of was thinking about her. He rubbed the back of his head, yawned and turned over trying to get more comfortable. But it didn't seem to work.

_'Damn it. Why the hell did I kiss her that time? I can't get it out of my head.' _Zoro stood up._ 'Stupid marine.'_

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I had not thought that I would ever be able to meet a band of pirates that would want to treat their hostages as invited guests. And yet here I am in the dinning hall of the strawhat pirates after most of them had already finished their meals eating an amazing dish of freshly cooked vegetables, fruits and red meat. I had never tried cooking fresh fruit and meat together and the sweet, and spicy taste was something really pleasantly surprising. At a glance it looked amazing, at the first sniff it was mouth watering, and at the first taste it was breath-takingly amazing. I closed my eyes and somehow the food tasted even better. It was invigorating.

Sanji came back to me. "Do you like it Tashigi chan? I made it especially for you, to lift up your spirits and rejuvenate your tired body." I saw his eyes almost sparkle with happiness at the thought.

"Yes, thank you. This is absolutely delicious. I did not expect to receive something as elaborate as this."

"You're quite alright, you can ask for anything you wish and that's perfectly fine. Anything for you angel! Let me know when you want your dessert." He winked at me and spun back around with a bounce in his step to go back to the kitchen where he had managed to get the odd pirate Usopp and the skeleton Brook to do the washing up.

_'How strange.'_ I shook my head at his bizarre behaviour and the strawhats' amazing generosity and turned back to my food eating it with joy._ 'They're being so kind to me. I wonder why?'_

I was just about finished when Zoro opened the door and walked in. "Hey guys."

Sanji turned round to look at him. "Late comers don't deserve any food."

"I didn't even ask you for any. You moron." Zoro yawned and rubbed the back of his head.

_'He looks tired.'_

"Are you feeling well, Zoro?" I asked.

"Yeah, you look like you've been dragged through hell." Sanji scoffed at Zoro and turned his back on him.

"And you're the boots I was wearing. Old, holey, thin, smelly, and melting." Zoro countered lazily.

_'What is their problem with one another?' _

"Hey Zoro, this food you guys are given is absolutely amazing." I indicated to my plate. "It's so tasty!"

Zoro walked up to the table, sat down and leaned across it taking a portion of the leftover meat off my plate, and ate it. "Yeah, I suppose it is. That's one thing 'dart brow' can do well."

"What!" I looked back at Sanji to see him fuming right beside us. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EATING!" Sanji kicked Zoro's chair away from the table.

"Meat." Zoro stuck a finger in his ear and rubbed it while yawning as if he hadn't been deafened by Sanji's yell, but rather hadn't heard him properly.

"Get your ugly face away from Tashigi!" Sanji shoved a plate of bread and meat towards Zoro and pointed back out the door. "Why don't you go eat some place else!"

"Sanji." came a singing voice from the other room. "May I have that snack you prepared for me earlier?"

"Of course, Nami my sweet!" Sanji spun around towards the fridge and pulled out a few glass bowls of desserts with different fruits, sources, and tarts in them. He placed them all carefully on two trays and made his way into the other room. "Move out of the way, Luffy!"

"But I want some too!"

"Not yet!" I heard something hit the wall. "I'll make your dessert later! Nami gets hers first!"

The door was shut leaving us late comers and the young doctor, Tony Tony Chopper eating by ourselves. Zoro pulled up another chair and sat across from me putting his food down on the table and started eating. The comparison between the meals was terrible. _'Why had Zoro been given such a ruff __and distasteful dish?'_

"Did you two have a falling out over something?" I leaned over the table and asked Zoro.

He looked up. "What? With Sanji?" His grey eyes glazed over with boredom. "What idiot gave you that idea?"

I looked back at the door. "Well you both seem to have it in for one another."

Zoro rolled his eyes putting the slabs of meat into the bread and taking a good bite out of it. "It's no big deal. He's just an idiot."

I nodded, not really understanding the reason behind such foul language still, but not wanting to push the matter further. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the strawhats' doctor looking at me intensely at least I thought it was the doctor.

I turned to my left and gave him a smile. "Is everything alright?"

His face was a little blurry because he was outside my normal short-ranged eyes' vision. "You must be feeling a lot better to be up and walking about."

"Yes," I nodded. "I'm feeling great thanks to you."

He reached out and poked me. I say poked it's more like brushed with a hoof. "Your not like Zoro are you?"

"Huh?" I looked up at Zoro. But Zoro shrugged the comment off as if it didn't matter to him.

"You're not going to start training with your swords immediately, are you?"

"I don't think so." I answered. _'Well, that won't be happening, because I only have one sword and it is currently being held __in__ captiv__ity__ by Zoro._' I glanced back up at Zoro again trying to catch his gaze, but he was looking elsewhere.

"You mustn't do to much or stretch the muscles in your right arm, the tendons where really torn through. So you have to take it easy and rest up."

I smiled down at him. "Wow, you're a really good doctor aren't you?"

"Kya!" The reindeer doctor jumped away from me. "Don't need to praise me or anything Marine lady." He wobbled back and forth and then started shuffling away.

"Thank you so much!" I called after him.

"You're a very grateful person aren't you?" Zoro said after swallowing another mouthful.

I stopped eating for a moment and thought about it. I hadn't ever really considered it before. "I suppose. Well, there are a lot of things to be grateful for at the moment. You guys are a lot kinder than I thought you would be."

"What? You expect us to tie you to a mast naked and laugh at you or something?" Zoro smirked when he saw my horrified expression at the idea.

"Well... I didn't quite know what to expect, but this wasn't it."

He nodded. "Luffy's not your average Pirate captain."

"No." I agreed. "He doesn't seem to have any malicious intent in him at all."

"That's because he's stupid."

"Do you usually call your captain stupid?"

"Yep."

"That's so rude." I said and ate my last mouthful.

"You expect me to be polite?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Oi you!" I felt a thud ricocheting down my chair before I could answer Zoro back, as strawhat's hand landed hard onto the back of it. "Tashy? Right?" I turned round to see his face about three inches away from mine. '_Way to close. Didn't this guy have any rules of self-conduct at all. Well... he is the grandson of Garp.'_

"It's Tashigi, yes." I answered. His brown eyes were filled with life and energy, and almost impossible to look away from. _'Back up a bit...'_

"You want me to show you around the 'Thousand Sunny'!?" He grinned at me. "I already showed the samurai guy and Traf doesn't want to."

I saw a shadow of Trafalgar Law standing beyond the doorway. _'He still g__i__ve__s__ me the creeps.'_

"Well..." I looked back at Zoro trying to find any excuse maybe for taking my time and not going immediately with this hyperactive … child? But Zoro, eating away as if he didn't even notice that Luffy had arrived, wasn't paying any attention to me. "Well, I need to …"

"Yeah!" Luffy yanked me off my seat and pulled me out through the doorway, passed Trafalgar Law, and into the next room before I could even respond properly. "WELCOME TO MY SHIP! THE THOUSAND SUNNY!"

_'Wow, he's so loud.'_

"This is the aquari/fish room!" he pulled me inside.

Nami sitting down reading looked up and shook her head. "It's called the aquarium, Luffy. Get it right."

"Yeah." Luffy nodded but then frowned. "Nami you already showed Momonosuke around the ship, so it's my turn to show someone this time."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Keep your hat on Captain."

Luffy continued. "... and this is the..."

_'What on earth is he doing showing me around his ship? I'm supposed to be the enemy.' _

.

.

We finally came out of the trap door that led under the ship from the main deck and the tour was proclaimed over. It was done quite quickly as it seemed that strawhat couldn't stay in the same place for very long.

_'But oh my gosh. What a maze. I had better not lose my way, but with not having my glasses does make that more likely to happen.' _

Nami, Robin, Momonosuke and his father Kin'emon came outside from the aquarium room. The cyborg Franky seemed to have disappeared somewhere downstairs. And I just noticed Zoro disappear up into the lookout room.

_'What is he up too?'_

"Hey, um." I looked down again and noticed Usopp infront of me. "We noticed your glasses had been lost, and that you'd probably be needing them so I decided to make you a new pair." He held up the glasses, and I took them. They might have been called glasses at one point, but they looked less like glasses and more like deep sea goggles with many other lenses attached to them ready to be flipped up or down at a moments notice.

"Thank you, but are you sure I can have this." I turned it over examining it. "It looks expensive."

"It's okay." He assured me. "You'll only be staying for a short time after all." He rubbed the end of his chin. "You need to see. Nami said you fell down the stairs earlier. We shouldn't let you continue hurting yourself by accident if we can provide you with a way to see better."

I accepted his gift, my pride a little torn, and put them over my head. They were a lot heavier than I was used to, but strangely comfortable. The clarity of vision was excellent too, and everything started coming into focus. Everything. The ship looked beautiful. It was a lot more homely than I had at first expected, with everything that had been put onto the ship it appeared less like a ship and more like a magical, floating house.

It was then that I noticed Caesar Clown had been left still cuffed to the mast out of the way from everyone else. _'He seemed to be asleep. So different to how I've been treated. It's so weird. These pirates, I never know how to react.'_

"Alright!" Luffy came running up beside me. "Time to see the highest part!"

Usopp backed away quickly running behind the nearest person. '_What's so scary about seeing the tallest part of the ship?' _I started making my way over to the stairs, but strawhat had a hold of his shirt that I was wearing and pulled me back, it was then that I noticed his other arm was stretched upwards.

"What are you...? yrahhhh..." I felt all the air get knocked out of me at once as strawhat pulled back on his arm and lifted us up into the air.

He miraculously landed perfectly at the very top of the mast. "YOSH! It's a good view from up here! It's fun isn't it!?"

I was speechless._ 'Okay... so now … I know what it's like to escape by air as a strawhat … not fun... wasn't prepared...'_

I looked up. Just above me was their jolly rodger blowing in the wind, it was smiling down at me as if mocking my career choice.

_**We Laugh at you, because you're a marine.**_

_**We Laugh at you, because you can do nothing to hurt us.**_

_**We Laugh at you, because you're a coward.**_

_**We Laugh at you, because you're a swordsman with no sword.**_

_**We Laugh at you, because you're weak and we're stronger.**_

_**We Laugh at you, because we can do whatever the hell we want.**_

I felt the small amount of stupid happiness that had been growing inside me die. 'I_ mustn't forget. I mustn't forget that I am a marine captain. I will stand true to my ideals. The world should never be given over to pirates. No matter the cost. I have to prevent it.__'_

I sighed. '_It didn't matter how nice a view it was. These were people who killed thousands of marines in order to save their crew member Nico Robin. They might be kind now, but they are not innocent. No. They are not innocent.'_

.

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**End of chapter 5**

**A special thanks to all those who have liked and reviewed my story so far. :D and thank you for all your help spotting the spelling mistakes. :P My bad. **

**Kagurami, poodlecake85, Bluelion, Tashigi-Chan, Elisablackcat, Lightningblade49, nakcabttak2, haley, nini, Sturm and Drang, secretslockedintheheart, Anna Riza Kurosaki, Darkgod222, 1996irl, animelove22, ibadillodavila, Scarlet Alapaap, op-grand-line and every other guest. **

**Thank you! :D**

**I hope you continue to read and enjoy the upcoming chapters.**


	6. Restless

**Chapter 6: WE LOVE ONE PIECE!**

**Listening to two songs at the moment while writing... 'Rock and Roll' by Avril Lavigne, and 'Courtesy Call' by Thousand Foot Krutch (**_I know weird name_**). **

**Whenever I think about these songs from now on I'm going to think of One Piece. :D Chorus is the best bit of the song. :D **

"**When it's you and me, **

**We don't need no one to tell us who to be. **

**We'll keep turning up the radio.**

**When it's you and I **

**Just put up a middle finger to the sky **

**Let them know we're still rock and roll.**

**ROCK AND ROLL!"**

**Avril Lavigne**

"**Hey-o here comes the danger up in this club  
When we get started and we ain't gonna stop  
We gonna turn it out till it gets too hot  
Everybody sing, Hey-O  
Tell 'em turn it up till they can't no more  
Lets get this thing shaking like a disco ball  
This is your last warning, a courtesy call!"**

**Thousand Foot Krutch**

**Just a bit a crazy...**

**Or a lot of crazy...**

**:D They're cool songs.**

.

.

Hard Lines: Restless

.

.

Nami was the sort of girl who was very blunt, and honest about things. This often seemed to make her sound mean especially when she was talking to any of the other members of the crew, but throughout the day I had found it to be quite refreshing. In fact the way the entire crew behaved was strangely comfortable to be around. Although Strawhat Luffy was the captain, he wasn't in a hurry to assert his authority over the rest of the crew, unless he was directly challenged, and it seemed to make the entire crew react responsibly within their own field of work. Whether or not they had been told to. It also became abundantly clear that Law and Strawhat were planning something extremely dangerous, and whenever I came near enough to hear one of them the other strawhats would come along and lead me away to another portion of the ship.

They were all definitely taking this 'don't leave the marine woman alone' idea very seriously, and Nami decided that she and I could have a bath after Robin and Momonosuke had shared one. I hadn't felt very comfortable at first with the idea, but when the alternatives were one of the other strawhats... I thought I could probably be able to put up with it.

The bath was a luxury that I was not used too having. And it was amazing. It was huge and looked less like a bath and more like a tub that you might find when coming across a hot springs at a favourite vacation spot, or at a wealthy business man's home. Not on a ship. But then again... I had only ever been sailing on Navy ships, and whenever we did get a hold of a pirate ship it would usually be falling apart in many different places.

I had been in the bath for a few minutes before I had even considered that I might need to give myself a scrub down. _'I need one of these on my own ship.'_

"Is your shoulder still bothering you?" Nami pushed her hair back out of her face, and slid across the bath towards me. I opened my eyes and lifted my arm slightly, and she started undoing the bandages that held it tight.

I nodded in answer. "Sometimes there's a throbbing pain that won't seem to go away, and other times it just feels really cold."

She shook her head in understanding of the pain and in bemusement. "I still can't believe you stayed behind with Zoro to take out that woman."

"What's so strange about that?" I asked curiously.

"Well,..." Nami carried on unravelling the bandage, and I started to get the itchy feeling again as the blood in my uncovered arm and shoulder begin to really warm up again.

Nami shook her head. "Well, Zoro could have taken care of it easily by himself."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows at that. _'Maybe not at first, but afterwards he was able to.'_ "No, I don't think that would have been the case. Maybe any other opponent, but Zoro doesn't fight women seriously."

"No," Nami insisted and pulled the rest of the bandage off leaving my arm feeling very weak and unsupported. "He could and probably would have easily killed her. I mean he has taken out both women and children before. He's the mean, green, fighting machine of the crew."

"What... really?" I asked automaticly. _'Oh, yeah... there had been __plenty of accounts of him and his demonic nature of exaggerated destruction, and there had been __that time I had been on apart from smoker's crew when he was still a captain and had arrived on Whiskey Peak, and there had been one survivor. The survivor had said that the pirate hunter had been responsible. How could I have forgotten that?' _

"Why does Zoro killing people surprise you? He used to do that as a living after all." Nami dropped the bandages over the side of the bath and stretched out her arms and sunk down deeper into the bubbles that covered the surface of the bath getting her own arms wet in the process.

I shook my head. '_Well, it didn't surprise me, but at the same time... whenever he met me he never showed that murderous intent that he was so famous for. I sometimes forget that he is well known for it.'_

I answered. "I have never seen any hint of that sort of behaviour when I have fought with Zoro. Maybe he just doesn't see me as worthy of his time." I washed more bubbles up over me and onto my face and upper arm wincing a bit at the pain. '_He never did take me seriously.'_

"Well... he did let you fight an opponent of his, which I will say is very unusual." Nami added.

"I suppose." I thought back to the memory. "He acted as if it was more like being forced to watch an overrated match of amateurs."

"Well that's Zoro for you." Nami said. "He likes to do all the cool stuff, and he sulks in his little space of solitude when he doesn't get his way or when he's being made fun of. He probably thought you were making fun of him."

"Ah_..." 'Ooops. Well, I basically admitted it to his face didn't I? **Yep.**.. oh well never mind.' _

"I stayed behind because I thought Zoro might show compassion on her because she was a woman, and He would have ended up being at it for too long and then probably either gotten himself killed by the gas or he would have eventually gotten lost in the tunnels."

"Arhhh..." Nami smiled at me.

"What?"

"That's so adorable. You were worried about him." Nami poked my stomach with her outstretched foot.

"NO! I did it because I couldn't trust him to do the job properly." I felt my face burning with shame and embarrassement. _'Why was it that other people could always catch me out on some stupid thing I might say.'_

Nami giggled and lifted up a sponge from the side of the bath and squeezed some of the water out over the top of my shoulder. I winced again at the warm water. "This is one hell of a nasty bite. It'll probably leave a huge scarring on your shoulder. But you're lucky she didn't break through your collarbone."

I looked down at the scar. Nami was right, it had been so close. Any closer and the snow woman Monet could have shattered it completely by grinding it into small pieces. I flinched at the pain in the memory.

"So, what exactly happened between you and Zoro then?" Nami asked her eyes focused on my shoulder.

"Well, during the fight with the snow woman, Zoro sat out to the side by the exit and watched me trying to fight I suppose, and then when she had managed to knock my Kantana from my grasp, that's when she was able to get a grip on my shoulder." I reached up to touch it gently. It was still very sensitive and there were grooves where the snow woman teeth had been grinding back and forth.

"I have a bit of a scar on my arm as well." Nami said, dropping the sponge and holding out her left arm. On the side near the shoulder was a blue tattoo. "I tried to cover it with a new tattoo." Nami shook her head trying to get the wet hair out of her face and eventually wiped it away with her other hand. "It's my tattoo of freedom."

"I've never really thought about getting a tattoo." I said truthfully. 'I_ wonder what sort of tattoo I would get if I ever thought about getting one... Oh... I just thought about it. Well I suppose my statement is now false.'_

"Well, it wasn't my first." she started washing herself with a different sponge and relaxing against the other side of the bath. "I was branded with a pirate tattoo when... I was about eight years old. That was when my entire village was taken over by the Arlong pirates and I needed the job."

"Wait... Arlong?" I thought back through all the bounties I'd seen and news reports I'd read. "Wasn't he one of the first people that Strawhat beat in the East Blue."

Nami grinned. "Yep. Luffy didn't like the fact that I told him that I hated pirates and said that he really wanted me to join his crew, but I wasn't having any of his crap, and so I pretended to join his crew, but I was already officially a part of Arlong's crew." She sighed.

I felt my eyes widen in shock. '_I had no idea that Nami had been from a different pirate group beforehand.' _

"Luffy was a lot of fun to be around, but I felt bad about leaving my village and my sister in the hands of pirates... And besides I had already made a deal with Arlong, I had promised I could provide him with all the maps he wanted as his navigator, and in addition to that I would also collect a price for the village on the island and buy it back from Arlong himself."

"I remember reading the news about it." I said feeling a little ashamed at the irresponsibility of the Navy. "The people sent in lots of complaints afterwards describing what the pirates had been aloud to get away with. The Marines that were sent to investigate that island where bribed to keep what happened there a secret. That sort of thing makes me feel sick."

Nami nodded. "Yeah. They were bastards. And the pirates had control of that town for ten years." She put her hand over her arm again.

I felt my heart break for her. 'From the age of eight to eighteen she had been forced to work for a band of pirates...' "I'm so sorry."

Nami shook her head again. "It wasn't your fault essentially and we're about the same age so don't make yourself feel like you're to blame. And it was my fault that I ended up working for him. I don't know why now I had at first thought he would keep his promises and that it would work."

"Well, you had no way of knowing..."

"I had a few dreams that helped me through. One was that the marines might be able to perform an covert operation and take the fishmen pirates by surprise, and the other was that I would be able to pay Arlong for the entire island and take it back myself."

"Wow." I shook my head in wonder. "You're incredible. You were going to do that all by yourself."

"Yeah. I'm crazy like that. Maybe that was one of the things that made Luffy want me on his crew so much." She smiled.

"That makes what I went through as a child look pathetic in comparison." I sighed in sympathy.

"It wasn't so bad at first. My mum was an ex-marine officer and she raised my sister and I up all by herself. She was a great mum," She scratched the top of her head. "...and now that I think back on it I was not a very grateful child at all. I took her for granted and hated the fact that so many other children had more than I did." She winked at me. "My Mum was awesome, but I was born to be bad. I suppose that was when I first started stealing on a regular basis. Food, books, stuff... anything that I couldn't afford, but what I felt I should have the privilege of owning."

I thought about what she said for a little while and there was a relaxed sense of peace in the bathroom. "I like the sound of your mum." I leaned back as well. _'Their bath was just the most perfect thing to relax in.'_"We should have switched places I think."

"What? You think you would have been able to take on Arlong?"

"No... I meant your mum." I sighed again. "My mother was rich, wealthy, and a real party organizer." I shook my head in exasperation. "I never really liked the attention she was always trying to get. And she got married about four times."

"Wow." Nami raised an eyebrow in bemused curiosity. "You're not much like her at all are you?"

"No way." I agreed in exhaustion at the memories. "I didn't know my father because they both split up when I was still very young, but I think I definitely take after him. Either that or I was adopted. Anyway, all I ever felt like doing was reading exciting stories, learning how to do new things and finding out facts, and sitting quietly by myself and all mum seemed to like doing was being as loud and as attention grabbing as possible."

'BAM! 'BOOM'... Right above us there was a thudding noise and what sounded like someone hitting the side of a wall or doorframe.

'Bom,badombombom...'

"Idiots." Nami growled, looking up at the ceiling. "...talk about attention seeking!..."

"Ha." I laughed a little, glancing up to it as well half expecting someone might just break through the floor any second. "Who do you think it is?"

"It's probably Luffy trying to steal some food from the fridge again." Nami rubbed away the frown lines on her forehead.

"Didn't he have ... six portions of the dessert that Sanji made?" I asked.

"Yep, but he has a bottomless pit of a stomach."

"Well... I suppose some devil fruit users love to abuse their powers... Like Smoker." I added.

"He does seem to be smoking every time we see him." Nami smiled.

"Yes, he wont' listen to reason." I dipped my head in the bath water and rubbed some of the available soap that Nami had put to the side, into my hair. "I told him once when I first met him that smoking was bad for you, and that was before I had known he had eaten the devil fruit that causes the user to morph into smoke. Anyway, when I said that, he told me to mind my own business and then from that point on he started smoking two."

"Hahahahahaha!" Nami stood up and picked up the shower head and started washing the soap from her hair. "That is just priceless."

"He just does it to show off. Because he can make smoke into any part of his body and direct it in any way he wants. He's so stupid sometimes. And I REALLY HATE that pirate's,... Law's power."

"Ga! I know right!" Nami agreed. "When he switched mine and Sanji's body around Sanji actually too off my bra and … well... I have no idea what he did to the rest of me when I wasn't looking."

_'Well technically you were still looking...'_

"Well, at least he didn't take your bra-bikini off and then wonder around with enemies and subordinates alike with your shirt unbuttoned." I buried my face in my hands. "I can't believe he did that."

"You should have taken off his pants as revenge." Nami winked.

"It was freezing! If you remember." I turned my attention back to cleaning my hair. "...and besides I don't fight dirty."

"Good for you, but if you really want a man to respect you, you're going to have to dish out some good old-fashioned punches of disapproval otherwise they will never learn."

"I know... but he is my superior and I can't speak badly about him infront of my men. It wouldn't look good." I slumped a bit feeling tired and frustrated.

"Yeah, but that was sexual harassment. If that bastard was doing something you didn't want done you need to sock it to him." Nami pushed her fingers through her hair as she held the shower at the top of her head.

_'This was really nice actually. When was the last time I did this? Just talking with another woman about random stuff... Not for a long time.'_

"So what is going on with Smoker then?" Nami asked. "Are you and him close?"

_'Yeah, well I know him better than anyone, but he... isn't for me I don't think... I don't want to be remembered as the woman whose superior fell in love with her. That sort of story will not happen with me. I don't think...No. I don't want it.'_

"Same way I think you're close to the rest of your crew. We have a good friendship, but he's really irritating at times."

"Right." Nami nodded and finished washing her hair.

_'Why do I feel so comfortable telling her all this stuff?_' I lay back in the bath again, wincing as the soapy water licked at my shoulder. _'It really has been a long time since I have__n't__ had any serious responsibilities. It's like being on leave... __**What the hell!**__ Why do I feel like I'm on holiday.'_

I sunk down further into the bath and looked up into the ceiling. _'__W__hat is wrong with me?'_

.

.

Nami offered me a set of actual pajamas to sleep in, which I was very greatful for, anything that would cover up my body, but also keep it warm was alright in my book. The bottoms were a made from a light, brushed-cotton of some kind and were a dark blue colour, while the top half was a simple, red, cotton tank top. Nami also offered me the chance to sleep in her room again tonight, but I declined. Although I would have liked to sleep back on the large and spacious double bed that I had been sleeping on before, after having heard that she would often share the bed with Robin when she didn't stay up all night reading, I thought it would be better not to take her up on the offer. I would rather sleep somewhere that was extremely uncomfortable, than somewhere overcrowded by people I still wasn't sure I wanted to near me, or could even trust.

I had been very thankful that Nami hadn't tried anything weird when we had taken a bath together, but now she seemed to have reverted back to teasing and just being odd about a few things. I eventually ended up just taking a blanket from the sleeping quarters and sleeping on the blue sofas in the room with the massive aquarium.

It was a nice experience really. Having a large fish tank on board a ship, with every sway of the sea waves you could hear another wave swish back and forth in the tank as well. I was lying on my stomach/side with one leg slightly bend and my left arm outstretched leaving my right arm unattended and slightly chilled by the cool air, which actually made it feel better. I basically placed myself in the most comfortable and safest position known to any man. 'The recovery position.' Scientifically proven to help nearly any person recover from almost any sickness, and always the way to place an unconscious person.

_'But why the hell can't I get to sleep? I really need to go to sleep... ummmmm …. I wonder how many trees where cut down to make this ship? … _

…_. I really like the colour orange. It's got the cheerfulness of yellow and the passion and love of red in it. Yeah, it's a good colour. People are often mean to it. …** No! **… sleep..._

_...My throat's sore. … No more thinking! … Sleep!...'_

"Coboom!" There came a thudding sound from outside again and I squeezed my eyes shut in frustration.

_**'Don't these pirates sleep?' **_

Then all of a sudden I heard the door open and footsteps come into the room. They walked about for a little while and then stopped abruptly. '_That person had seen me. … wait a moment, I know the sound of those boots. __It's __Zoro.'_

"What are you still doing up?" I heard Zoro's voice.

I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. _'Go away … go away … I don't want to talk to anyone … I want to sleep … go away … just please … go away …' _

He walked right up to me and I did my best 'pretend to move in sleep motion' to hide my face under my right arm, but hadn't counted on the sudden burst of pain that the shoulder suddenly shot my way. _'Don't react … soon he'll be gone … don't say anything … he'll leave any second now.'_

He seemed to stand there for simply ages before he made another movement, and to my horror he didn't move to go back outside, but he actually moved my left arm a bit and sat down next to where my head was resting.

_'Maybe... I should 'fake' wake up and tell him to get lost for waking me up. … But then that would mean I'd have too talk again. I don't feel like talking at the moment. I want to sleep. Get lost Zoro.'_

I heard him sigh and felt him shift about again. Then I felt his hand coming to rest on the back of my head just above my neck. His fingers started to gently stroke through my hair.

**'_What __the … __is he doing?'_**

_'Any second now he's going to remove his hand and walk away.'_

For what seemed like absolutely ages he just sat there. He wasn't doing anything else in particular, but the simple touches themselves where enough to make the hair at the back of my neck stand up.

"Chopper...?" at the sound of the loud whisper outside the door Zoro's hand lifted from its place instantly and he stood up and walked to the door to look outside it.

He grumbled something under his breath which sounded like '_idiot Usopp_.' and then came back down to the couch and sat right next to me again.

_'Blast it all. Now I'll never get to sleep.'_

I started to feel cold, and I still couldn't move. _**'Zoro, could you just leave already?'**_

He stroked some loose strands of my hair down into the rest of the black mass of hair that on the behind me and uncovered my shoulder. _'Freezing... Why do I feel so cold about now?' _

Zoro put his hand on my bare shoulder and I instantly felt the warmth coming from his skin. '_Woah, I was a lot colder than I thought.'_

Zoro did stand up after that and walked out of the room. I listened very carefully trying to make sure that Zoro was indeed gone before I tried moving again, but he came back just a minute later. He walked briskly up to me and I felt another wave of air hit me as I was quickly covered with another blanket that was larger and heavier than the one that I had at first.

He lifted up the corners of the new blanket making sure my shoulder was covered and tucked them into the edges of the couch. I instantly felt warmer and more sleepy than I had done before.

_'I don't get? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Not that he didn't act kind during the day, but … why he is so ... different. From all the stories that I hear about him people describe him as being heartless and evil.'_

Once he had finish with that, He carried on running his fingers through my hair again. _'__H__e had better stop it soon, it's starting to tickle.'_

"So … long?" I heard him mutter to himself.

_'...He talking about my hair? Well I suppose he hasn't seen me since … Alabasta I think. My god that was a long time ago. I had really short back then. Yes, Zoro my hair is long now could you stop stroking it. I need to get some sleep.'_

As if he had read my thoughts Zoro stood up again and made his way to the door leading outside. _'Thank you. For leaving, and for being considerate. He was a lot nicer than expected.'_

_**'Wait, what was that?**__ Why did he even touch me like that? __Stroking my hair as he was … __'_ I moved a little bit and felt my answer was right beneath me, pulling at my clothes and pushing against couch. My left hand moved instantly to my chest and took a hold of my nearest breast and holding it firmly. A warm feeling, and a sense of calm come upon me again as the presence of Zoro subsided.

_'It was ridiculous right? I mean there was no way that the pirate would find me all that attractive. Right?' _

**'camboom boom bomm bomm.' **The sounds came from out on deck again and before I knew it the door opened yet again.

_'No! Why is he in here again? Okay I can't go through this anymore.' _I pretended to wake up at the sound of the door shutting again and moved around a bit turning my head and sitting up slowly giving off my best and most dazed look.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing, go back to sleep."

_'With you hovering above my head there's no chance of that happening.'_

I pretended to be surprised at the extra sight of the blanket that Zoro put over me. "I got you another one. You looked rather cold." Zoro said in answer to my expression.

_'I know I'm cold, and I still don't understand why. It's not like it was an actually cold evening.' _

"Thank you." I put my hand up to my head. "I've got a headache." I grumbled truthfully. '_I really d__o__ have a headache.'_

Zoro came up infront of me and put a hand on my forehead. "I'll get you something to drink."

"Okay, thanks." I nodded and turned around to lie on my back. '_From this angle I can see what's in the fish tank better.'_

I scratched the back of my head and neck still trying to get rid of the tickling sensation that Zoro's fingers had left there.

A few moments later he came back with two warm mugs in his hand and a few biscuits that apparently the captain didn't know where to look for them. I sat up properly as he approached and accepted the drink that was offered to me. _'So much for getting a decent night's sleep.'_

I took a small sip of the 'tea' by the looks of things, but was pleasantly surprised when it in fact wasn't what I had expected. "What is this?" I inhaled the smell of the drink trying to guess what it was. '_Minty? Ginger?'_

"It's hot water, milk, honey, ground ginger, mint, and whiskey. Best cure for headaches." He said before drinking his own drink.

_'Well, I'm not sure about the whiskey part, but everything else tasted really nice.'_ I let out a content sigh and relaxed back into the cushions. "Thank you. This was just what I needed."

"You're welcome. Sorry I woke you, you seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully before."

_'If only you knew.'_

"No it's okay." I muttered and slouched back against the seat. "I wasn't having a good sleep anyway." '_Why are you telling him that?'_

"I'm just worried about the children that were experimented on at Punk hazard." I sipped at my drink again. "Their parents had sent out so many different calls for help and I promised them that I would do everything in my power to find them." She laughed at herself a bit. "And I found them, but I won't be able to see their faces when they get reunited to their parents again."

"You really wanted to see that?" Zoro asked.

"Well, yes." I nodded. "A child doesn't hold back from showing parents that he or she loves them. And it's one of the most beautiful things in the world."

"Hummm." Zoro mumbled incoherently.

"It's one of the main reasons I wanted to become a marine, to help those who are suffering or who get lost find their way back home."

"I thought your main reason was to steal swords." Zoro's head turned in my direction.

"No, that was a passion that started later. That was once I had already picked up on the techniques in sword play and had been practising for quite a while. My initial reason to wanting to own a sword wasn't for something like that, but because I wanted to protect people who couldn't protect themselves."

"So, when you're not hunting down pirates for their weapons do you like your work then?"

"Yes, but it's extremely exhausting, and there's so much blasted paperwork to do." I felt a pout spread across my face and groaned. "When I get back, I'm going to have the biggest pile ever to sort through and write about."

"Huhm." I looked back up at Zoro and saw his eyes were closed. He was practically asleep already. _'Lucky bastard.'_

I leaned back against the sofa, and gathered the blankets about me. I started to feel the objects about me become less there as I found myself slowly being pulled back into the world of sleep.

'Woa... I'm starting to feel really sleepy now...' I sipped down the last remains of the drink Zoro had given me and put it infront of me on the table and then tried to get comfortable again. I didn't lie back down, but rather just leaned my back against Zoro's warm right side.

I slowly dozed off to the rhythm of the ship swaying on the waves and to the gentle sound of light breathing from the sleeping man behind me.

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**Well, That's Chapter 6 done. :D That one was good fun to write as well. **

**Please leave a comment or review if you would like too. :D**


	7. Provoked

**Chapter 7:**

**Okay... so my uni deadline is in less than one week... and I really shouldn't be doing this, but I really want to upload another chapter...**

**So here goes.**

**Enjoy Chapter 7.**

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_**(The first scene from the previous chapter but told from Zoro's point of view.)**_

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Hard Lines: Provoked.

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_'It's getting dark already. Damn I'm so tired! After all that exercise I could definitely go for another nap.' _I climbed to the top balcony to get away from everyone, and out of range of their voices, but that didn't seem to work well today.

_'I hate having all these extra people on board. It's so damn annoying. I can't get any rest with all of these idiots demanding my attention. Granted, we do need to keep an eye out _(no pun intended) _for Dolfamingo or one of his cronies, but I hadn't expected everyone to get so on edge. … Even with my back to Usopp and Chopper they still make the noise of a yowling seahorse, sound like music with their dumbass chatter. Gah! How did Usopp talk Chopper into wearing that ridiculous thing. Doesn't Chopper know yet that he's braver and more intelligent than Usopp.' _

"It's already late!" Usopp started to yell. "No one has come!"

"Yes, sir! I didn't see anybody!" Chopper agreed, giving his report to the older man whom Chopper obviously thought was the right person to follow.

"Uh-huh. Good job!" Usopp said loudly and as formally as possible.

"Thank you sir!" Chopper call out in similar fashion.

_'I wonder if they actually acting this out to impress the ex-warlord, or the military personal on board. Damn that's daft. Funny, but stupid, anyone can tell these idiots don't have much of a clue when it comes to staying alert for the enemy.'_

Usopp called out to someone. "Hey, do you think they can still find us? How many people are looking for us!? Tens of thousands? I can't stop worrying since I heard you blackmailed Doflamingo! You fool!"

"Me neither, you fool!" Chopper added.

_'Oh, so he's talking to Law. I wonder if they'd be calling him names if Luffy hadn't already told them that he had made a pact with him.' _I scratched the top of my head. _'Why am I getting so itchy, is it from the salt in the air.'_

"Ahhh!" At the loud exclamation I opened my one good eye and saw the Samurai guy before me.

_'Well, I never really expected to get much rest at this time of the day, but __I didn't expect this guy to bother seeking me out to talk too.'_

"Hey." I nodded a greeting to him.

"I heard you're quite a legend where you come from."

_'Of course I am.'_

"You heard that did you?" I said. "I've been keeping a low profile for years now. I would have thought the stories would have died down."

"_Yes, your bravery proceeds you." Kinamon added._

_'__Hell Yeah__! I'm more well known than I gave myself credit for. __Take that second rate Pirate A with the drawn poster.__'_

I sat up straighter. "Good news. By the way, could you tell me in your unbiased opinion, which of us Strawhat pirates apart from Luffy do you think is the most well known or is classified as the strongest?"

He sat down and scratched his shoulders. "Well I heard that the red-haired woman's poster is very well known." He grinned. "Well I haven't seen it, but I heard that many government officials have been talking and insisting about getting a new one printed because it looks too sexual for a Bounty Poster." He stroked his odd-shaped chin beard. "Apparently quite a few wives of Marines have complained that their husbands have been printing off large copies of the posters and putting them up in their studies. It apparently helps them get motivated to catch other pirates."

_'Really? It helps them to get motivated...what a denial. If they have a poster like that in their office then it'll do more than get them motivated. _I felt a grin spread across my face before I could stop thinking about the ridiculousness of it. _I wonder if the Marine woman copy-cat gets motivated in a similar way with another pirate poster... Okay think about something else.'_

"They have no idea what she's really like though." I coughed. _'I can still remember how much money she had been able to weasel from me in such a short amount of time._' "Damn witch."

"Yeah," he looked back at me with that serious look on his face. "..but you live in the same crew, surely you might have felt something for her by now." He tilted his head back in relaxation one could only imagine what he was thinking about.

I raised an eyebrow. 'S_o he thinks that does her?_'

"She's hot, and she knows it. Nami likes doing things sneeky-like, just as Usopp does." I yawned and leaned back again. "That's just not my style."

"But you won't deny that a woman like that is nice to have around just to look at." Kinamon knelt down beside me and looked out to sea in the same direction.

"Nope I won't deny it, but I'm thankful I haven't seen much more of her junk."

"What?" Kinamon looked at him strangely. "Why would you say that."

"It's too expensive."

There was an odd pause in the conversation that didn't seem to want to shift in any way for a little while. "So... You wield three swords. What possessed you to learn a technique that would incorporate the use of three swords in combat?"

"I guess I wanted the challenge." I said. I lifted the three swords up to show him.

"Well, these are some fine … WHAT!"

I scowled at such a loud outcry right near my ear, and here I thought that Luffy, Usopp, Franky, and Nami where one of the few people that I had been unfortunate enough to travel with that had such loud gobs. _'Obviously not.'_ "What is you're problem?" I asked him.

"That... that …. that … Sword!"

"Yes! This sword is mine! What is the deal with you?"

"YOU CLAIM THAT SWORD... AS YOUR OWN AND YET TOTALLY DISREGARD ITS BEAUTIFUL HISTORY AND PEACE!"

_'What the hell is this guy on about?'_

Kinamon stood up and drew his freak'n sword. "Fight me thief! You have no right to hold that sword. I will take it back by force if I have too."

_'What the hell is wrong with these people? Why do I always seem to attract the crazy, self-righteous, religious, nut-cases? First the marine woman, and now this guy.'_

"Wait." I stood up and jumped out of the way of the swinging blade. "It's not what you think."

_._

_._

…..."Kin gave us armour and some helmets. Just let it go!" I heard Luffy speak out loudly.

'CLANG... CRASH... BOING! SMASH! _Got to avoid him. Don't provoke him any further. Why won't he listen?__' _

"Resign from the Warlords or fight one of the emperors." Brook voice could be heard clearly above the clang of Kinamon's sword. "Nobody can choose between those options. He'll just come to kill us. Yohohohoho. I'm scared."

'CLANG... CRASH... BOING! SMASH!' I jumped backwards again out of range from Kinamon's blade. _'It wasn't too much of a serious fight, but he was being damn annoying.'_

"You bastard! Fight me squarely!" Kinamon yelled.

I carried on trying to avoid his attacks and back up into Caesar. "Wahhhhh!" Caesar dodged some fire attacks. "Cut it out! Stop!"

"I said it's a long story!" I tried to explain.

With nothing better to do obviously, Nami butted in. "Come on! It's dangerous to fight on the ship! ZORO!"

"Oh, are you guys playing samurai?!" Luffy started walking over to us. "Fight fight!"

I locked gazes with Kinamon trying to show him that I was innocent of any crimes that he might have thought he could place at my feet. But there seemed to be no way of getting through to him his eyes were blazing in a fury. "You should be ashamed of yourself! The whole country was left heartbroken, when the grave of the Wano Kingdom's hero was left plundered by a thief! That was you!"

"I said I didn't do it!"

_'I can't believe this. I'm being blamed for stealing the dead Zombie samurai guy's body and sword. That's just rotten luck.'_

"You must have! You have the legendary swordsman Ryuma's great sword Shusui on your belt!"

"Come on, come on! Fight, fight!" The others started to cheer us on.

"Just cut him already!" I heard Sanji cheering for Kinamon somewhere above me. _'Moron swirly eyebrows.'_

"Who wants to eat a midnight snack?" Sanji interrupted.

_'Okay, I'll admit. Good interruption idiot cook.'_

"Oh, what is it!?" Luffy and Chopper yelled excitedly.

"Pizza." Sanji said flatly.

"Pida?" Kinamon stopped trying to fight me and turned around interested. "I don't know what that is but if he cooked it, it should be good." He walked over to the others and looked around and then asked if his son had gone to bed yet.

"He's taking a bath with Robin." Nami answered calmly.

_'Oh great why did she have to go and say that.'_ I rubbed my head again and started making my way … away somewhere.

"What!" Brook, Kinamon, and Sanji yelled all at once.

I walked around and picked a different sport to rest in peace. Hopefully no one will disturb me this time. I close my eye and just enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by fresh air and peace.

"YOU'RE THE WORST YOU BRAT!" '_Well it looks like they found the kid. What a bunch of morons, that's only going to make the women treat __the kid__ better __if he's picked on__.'_

"DON'T PICK ON HIM!" Nami's voice came down from upstairs. **"Bang. Bammm. Boing! Boom!"**

_'Yep, I called it. That's definitely Nami's revenge on them for picking on the kid.'_

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I woke up and felt even more tired than I did before._ 'I could really go for a shower round about now. Yep...'_ I yawned, stretched, and straightened up. _'I'll have a shower.'_

I made my way up the stairs and then noticed a sound coming from above. I threw my towel onto the side hooks and made my way up the stairs to the roof. …

_'__What is __Sanji __doing__ here?' _

"So, you had your shower yet?" I asked.

"Sshshhhhhh!" Sanji waved me back and went back to … pressing his eyes against a crack in the wood of the bathroom ceiling.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" I looked down at him in disgust, and moved to sit down on one of the wooden panels at the side. '_This is ridiculous. Even if he did want to see Nami naked he didn't have to get a high from __watching and __listening to her take a bath.'_

"You wouldn't understand, Moron." Sanji snapped.

"No I understand perfectly. You're a dumb cook that can't get his eyes off some stupid ass chick."

"She's stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, and talking about her life's struggles openly." He sniffed and wiped away his new emotional tears. "It's such a beautiful moment."

_'Stupid.'_ "Talking to who?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Tashigi's in there."

"What? Why?" _'__Considering how she reacted this afternoon, I'd have thought she wouldn't want to go anywhere near Nami.'_

"If you want to know, then listen." Sanji raised his fingers to his lips and became really quiet.

"No... I meant your mum." _'That was __the marine woman__'s voice. __What does she mean by that?__'_

"My mother was rich, wealthy, and a real party organizer. I never really liked the attention she was always trying to get. And she got married about four times."

'_Her mother got married four times! Sounds like she lived an easy life off other people's money.'_

"Wow. You're not much like her at all are you?"

"No way." The marine woman continued.

Sanji put his eye back to the minuet crack in the boards. "Oi." I whispered. "Stop looking at them you creep."

"What, you jealous?" Sanji laughed with a stupid smug grin on his face and wiped a small trail of blood from his nose. '_That Bastard! That was it.' _

"Don't just watch them you Creepy Cook." I stood up and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "That's low even for you."

"Shut up. Don't act so high and mighty. I know you only want me to stop looking so you can be the one watching."

_**"BAM!" "BOOM**_" I smashed Sanji into the floor.

"Big mistake Swordsman." Sanji stood up and threw a kick into my stomach making me walk back a few paces. "It not like this is a new thing for me. I want to be the ultimate...!"

"Shut your trap!" I drew my swords and held my position. "I thought you took pride in being a gentleman where did all that pride go that you would do something so trivial and disrespectful?"

"I still have plenty of pride." Sanji pulled out his lighter. "I just so happen to take pride in the fact that I can see a beautiful woman without being detected. And anyway it's not like I haven't done this before and you never complained th..." Sanji looked up at me then and scowled. "You had better not be thinking about spying and stealing away my lovely Tashigi."

"What?!"

"She's way too good for your unappreciative mind to even consider …"

_**'Bom,badombombom...'** _I threw him again. "Get lost and take you're stupid opinions with you."

I stopped for a moment and got ready for another kick attack of his.

"Hahaha." I heard the woman's laugh coming from downstairs. _'woman... no Tashigi, her name is Tashigi... I need to remember her name. She's utterly different from Kuina now... so that should be easy.'_

"Who do you think it is?" Tashigi asked Nami.

I could feel my entire back stiffen. '_What if she found out it was me up here? Would she think I was actually spying on her.'_

"... Luffy …" I heard Nami utter something about Luffy and I let out a sigh of relief. _'I did not want anymore misunderstandings.'_

"Woah...ho ho" I turned my attention back to Sanji again as he began raising his voice.

"What!" I muttered angrily. _'I'm feeling pretty on edge right about now so don't say anything else stupid.'_

"I've never seen you get so worked up about me being near to and keeping an eye out for a beautiful woman. She must be rather special to you then." He raised the dartbrow in amusement and nodded.

"What?! She's not special at all!"

Sanji raised that annoying eyebrow again and smiled that stupid smile. "Ah... well that's good. Tashigi's the sort of girl that's perfect for me."

'_Perfect... yeah right. The feministic swordswoman would sooner stab him through the heart than give him her own.' _"Don't be a moron. She's a marine."

Sanji put another cigarette into his mouth and lit it. "Marine's have been persuaded into leaving the Navy if they fall into love." He sighed. "It's inevitable. She compliments my cooking constantly, she's sweet, she's hot, she's got a great body..." Sanji did the hourglass shape with both his hands in mid hair. "... she's funny, she's got a really kind and generous heart, and by the sounds of their conversation just now I'd say she's got a broken heart, and I will be the one to do it. I'll fix her broken heart and dashed dreams and shower her with love. With my cooking, love and support she will will be able to accomplish everything she dreams of. She's the sort of girl that's sweet, stubborn and hard to win over, but once I do and she makes her mind up she will love me forever." Sanji's mind disappeared into fairy land with a smirk on his face. "Yep, she's my soul mate."

"Shut up! Stop acting like you know her. You don't."

"I do know her. I've been watching her recently. I can tell she still suffering." He frowned. "Especially after finding out that a man she respected in the marines betrayed her entire unit of men back on Punk Hazard."

"Who?" _'I don't remember this.'_

"That's because you weren't there, but I was. I could tell with the way she looked at me, when I saved her from the bastard that she was falling for me." Sanji spun around in his normal ignorant bliss and held out his arms as if he were catching someone falling.

_'I can't stand this. This is sickening. If she was here she would give him a kick in the face... or would she? I don't really know how she would react...'_

"All I need to do now is let her feel the true passion of my love for her..." Sanji carried on.

_'...Would she actually get off on that sort of stuff?'_

"... and she and I would make such adorable kids."

"Shut up you damn idiot! Don't look at her in that way, don't touch her, and I don't want you anywhere near her." I felt my mouth drop as I heard those words leave my mouth. _'What __the hell __did I just say?'_

"I thought so." Sanji looked smug for whatever reason. "So you do like her, but you just won't admit to it."

_'Why can't I say anything?'_

He then sighed and turned his back on me. "You're a waste of a woman's time anyway, where she would actually want to get to know you, you would keep her at a safe distance and never show her or share with her any real feelings. You're the sort of guy that will live his life apart from others. You want to be alone. You want to train alone." He walked to the edge of the roof. "And you want to die alone."

_'No... that … Is that really what it looks like to other people? That's not true. I just want … more …NO STOP. You're dream is important. It is a promise, and way more important than some trivial affair of some sort.'_

"It's none of your bloody business." I said.

"And that's why she will never even think about staying here for you, because you never share what you're really feeling with anyone."

"I don't want her to, and I don't care what you think or what words you say. I don't like her. You're just twisting my words around. I never said I did, and won't." I scowled back at him. "I don't need anyone to help me achieve my dreams. It's not necessary to be in love with someone to feel accomplished in life. I'm not like you fantasizing about every single woman's ass that comes you're way. To be honest it's disgusting to act the way you do. Just because you see and like a beautiful woman doesn't mean you should treat her like a piece of meat you can just admire the flesh of, pick up whenever you want, cook up, eat up, and then throw away when you're done. It should take time, and any decent relationship should be handle by both parties with respect."

"YOU DAMN IDIOT! COMPARING WOMEN TO MEAT IS HORRIBLE!"

"No more horrible than your drawling over their cup sizes and asses like some animal."

"Every man acts like an animal with the person he wants the most. Those that don't obviously have no competition or drive to get their mate."

"That's stupid."

"And So are you! … You! And so you..." Sanji paused dramatically. "A drunk penniless pirate, actually want to handle your woman with respect?" Sanji raised his dartbrows in suspicion.

I felt frustrated again. "That's not what I said. I said that's the way they should be treated. I don't want any relationship with one it's too complicated and time consuming."

"What? You think you're some great advice giver? What the hell are you doing giving out romantic advice when you don't have a romantic bone in your body!"

"No. I don't care about it." I felt my face burning. _**'Get out of here. **__**Quick...**__**'**_

"What are you trying to be? A romantic man? Someone who intends on getting married to the right person. I would have thought you would be the sort of guy for the quick dip and out relationship." Sanji paused. "Wait … Have you never..."

"That's none of your business either." I interrupted. _'How had the stupid conversation gotten to this?__' _I tried to push pass Sanji, but he kept blocking my way. "Move." I demanded.

"I didn't think I'd see you get so worked up about this. If you like her so much, you should just tell her before someone else does."

"No one else is going to get her attention." _'hold up … what? I did not just say that.'_

"Wow. You're a bastard." Sanji spat out his cigarette and scowled properly at me. "Not only do you like her, and think she's into you, but you're not going to do anything about it because you're sure she will never be in love with anyone else, and are content knowing that. You would do that to satisfy your ego." He shook his head. "You're sick." With that Sanji went out the door first and down the steps.

_'I …... didn't mean it like that …..._ _I don't think.'_ I lay down on the floor and rubbed the back of my head.

_'What the hell just happened?'_

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**End of Chapter 7.**

**Yikes! That was different. **

**When I started this chapter I had no idea it would end this way, but it did seem to flow together so well that it had to be written like this. **

**Zoro's a bit confused...**

**But then again so am I. Why did you say that Zoro? What are you going to do next?**


	8. Restless part 2

**Chapter 8. **

**Thank you everyone for the 46 reviews so far :D **

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_**(The scene from the chapter 6 told from Zoro's point of view.)**_

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Hard Lines: Restless part 2

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_'Sanji is wrong. I'm not heartless. That arrogant bastard. He's just jealous... I think.' _I breathed in deeply as I enjoyed the cold water from the shower running down my back._ 'And now switch on the hot tap... that feels so good. I really like temperature changes. It makes me feel like I'm still battling something. All I've been able to think about is what that stupid … what Sanji said.' _I scratched the back my neck and let out a sigh._ 'But I'm not selfish. I will always fight to defend the crew and Luffy, so why would the idiot even say that?'_

_'What the hell is wrong with me? I never used to let what other people say about me get to me at all. So, why do I feel so mad about this...?'_

"….. this sucks."

_**'Unless he was jealous, or maybe he was being truthful.'**_

_'Crap. It not like it even really matters. She's the hostage and soon she'll be going back to where she came from so there isn't any point.''_

_**'What if Sanji does make a move ****on her**** like he said he would. ****She wouldn't fall for it, would she?****' **_The idea of Kuina falling in love with a person like Sanji was a terrible picture to imagine, not that there would be much left of Sanji if he treated Kuina as he treated other women, but Tashigi... was different somehow._ Maybe she would if he pushed hard enough and gave her food, and … if he started collecting the legendary kantanas from around the world and gave them to her she would be like the dough in his hand. He could make her do whatever.'_

I turned the shower off again and shook my head trying to get the thoughts out of my head. "It's gonna be another long night." I sighed and stepped out of the shower, rubbed myself down and pulled my clothes on. After walking back down the stairs I came to the main gathering place for everyone who didn't feel the need of sleep or for whom all sleep evaded. I jumped back down onto the grassy bed of the deck and noticed Chopper and Usopp still patrolling. _'Well that was good. They were improving.'_

_'I wonder if Luffy has been to the kitchen yet?'_

I called out. "Hey Chopper?" The small reindeer almost jumped out of his skin in fright at the sound of the voice from the above. His eyes wide and arms raised in defence.

"Oh it's just you Zoro." he sighed in relief, and turned back around to glance about nervously. "don't scare me like that."

"Right, and don't get so worked about being on guard duty."

"I know but I'm worried something else might come out after us." Chopper looked from left to right.

I put a hand on his head and patted him. "Usopp's with you, and you should know that Law will cut up anyone trying and take Caesar." I smiled down at him.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay then. Keep up the good work Chopper."

"Aye aye sir." Chopper whispered, raising his guard stick he gave Zoro a salute and turned around and carried on Patrolling.

"**Coboom!"**

_'What the hell was that? That might just have woken everyone up.'_

I ran around for the source of the noise to find Usopp with an odd-shaped gun in his hand on the ground having tripped up over some rope. _'What was that gun originally supposed to be, a water pistal?'_ I rubbed the back of my head.

"Usopp? What are you doing?" I mumbled through a yawn that just had to come.

"Nothing, its okay. Just tripped. I didn't die."

"You got to be more careful." Chopper came running up behind me and knelt beside Usopp. "You didn't shoot yourself anywhere?"

"No." Usopp said after quickly giving his body a slight tapping over.

"That's not what you should be worried about." I added, "I hope you didn't shoot Caesar or Nami's going to kill you."

"Ahhhh..." Usopp began to exclaim and then covered his mouth as he realized if he was the one to wake her up he might get to see a glimpse of heaven again, much sooner than expected. He turned back to Chopper. "You've got to keep absolutely silent soldier..."

I turned my back on them and began walking back the way I came. _'__It looked like they were having fun and I definitely feel like having a good long rest now. __Need something to drink first... Now where did I put my sake?'_

I made my way to the aquarium and went inside. I took a couple of long steps forward to where I store my small stash under the floor boards, because you just never know what Nami's going to try to get away with next. When I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

_'What's that? Is someone there up on the couch'_ I stood stock still and just kept a look out letting my eye adjust. 

_'It's Tashigi. Why is she sleeping in here? I thought the girls where going to take he up to their room. What's she doing here?'_

"What are you still doing up?" I questioned her in a low voice. She didn't answer. _'She must be asleep already.'_

_'I probably shouldn't try and open the cabinet just in case... In case what? She wakes up? Is she even asleep?'_

I walked up to her and looked down at her trying to get a look of her face to see if I could tell, but she had hidden it beneath her thick, wavy, black hair and left arm. I looked at her right arm. _'I wonder if it still hurts.'_

_'She looks so peaceful.'_ I took a glance at what she had covering her, a thin blanket that looked very soft to touch. _'It might be soft but does it keep you warm. __And what where you even doing here marine? Should I stay and keep an eye one her... make sure she doesn't try anything ridiculous or stupid... Nami did tell me that we had to keep a close eye on all our visitors. Yeah, I should. No one else is going to.__'_

I moved her left arm out of the way so I could sit down beside her. _'__Sleeping here__ was a good idea actually. These couches were very comfortable.' _I leaned back and sighed_. 'Yep, good idea marine, good idea.'_

She moved bit in her sleep and a few sections of her hair slipped off her back onto the couch.

_'Woah, her hair is just like …_' I reached out and ran my fingers along her hair at the back of her head. _'...__Something that's so light and clean. __Feathery... watery … wavy? almost looks like the sea at midnight. This feels so soft.'_I sunk my fingers into her hair and ran them down until they got tangled.

_'I can't believe this woman is still alive. Every time I've seen her nearby she gets a crazy ambition to fight someone who is way stronger than her. She's... like Luffy, but without his devil fruit powers. She good with a sword, but she's... crazy. There's no other word for it. She's crazy. Like me when I was thirteen.'_

I felt another sigh leave my lips and I closed my eyes feeling a wave of calm, wash over me at the strange feeling of Deja vu.

"Chopper...?" I jumped a bit at the sound of the loud whisper coming from outside the door, and walked to the door to look outside it.

"What is that idiot Usopp up too now?" I looked from left to right. _'__There doesn't seem to be anyone nearby._ _**\- Why am I getting so jumpy? Stupid.'**_

I sat back down again. _'I have no reason to feel nervous. __I'm just... guarding her. I'm not like Sanji or someone like that I'm not going to try anything on her.__'_

_'I wonder how her shoulder's doing? With the way she was talking earlier it sounded like it was still being a problem.'_

I brushed out of the way some loose strands of her hair down her back and uncovered her shoulder. _'__Woah, she is freezing. How can she be this cold? She needs another blanket. Stupid woman going to sleep cold doesn't help you get any better.'_

I stood up and walked into another room to look for Robin's storebox. Sometimes in the past when she had decided to read a book in one night she would stay up the entire time reading in a huge woollen blanket. _'Now, where did you put it Robin?'_

After having sifted through a few items I saw it. I lifted it from the box and shook it out. _'Yep this should be good enough.'_

I walked back in where the marine was sleeping and shook out the blanket again and threw it over her. I made sure her shoulder was covered and tucked the corners of the blanket into the couch. _'Well at least now she won't freeze.'_ I pulled the blanket right up to the back of her neck, and then let my hand rest there again.

_'Her __black__ hair __really i__s __… __just … '_

"So … long?" I said out loud letting my fingers pull a few strands loose. _'I had no idea long hair could feel so soft__. __I hadn't ever tried running my fingers through the __Nami or Robin'__s hair, and I didn't really want to try just in case it might cause... something stupid to happen I suppose. But Perona had made me brush her hair on a number of different occasions. __She had often felt in need of company when Mihawk left the island for a few days or weeks or months and She would often get bored and try playing about with her stupid ghosts haunting people in nearby ships. And then when she was sick of that she would turn her normal torture powers on me until I gave in.'_

_'Stupid girl... her hair was always shiny looking, pretty much perfect, and … pink. It's so different...' _

I saw a small flash of light coming in through the window. _'Come on Usopp._ _Are you trying to catch someone attention?'_ I stood up again and made my way to the door heading back outside outside.

_'Come on out Usopp...' _ I saw Law had stood up with his sword drawn pointing it towards Caesar. "What's going on here?"

"He just fired something up into the sky."

"I DON'T WANT TO BE USED AS A HOSTAGE! I'M THE GREAT AND POWERFUL...!"

I hit him briefly over the head with the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji. "You think there is anyone nearby that saw that light?" I asked Law.

"We'll know soon enough."

"**camboom boom bomm bomm." **Usopp and Chopper came falling down the the stairs to see the situation. "What happened!?..." Chopper gave out a loud whisper, and Usopp stood up again and glanced around as if waiting for the enemy to pounce on them any minute.

"Nothing." Law and I said at the same time. I gave him an understanding nod and we walked away from each other.

"What do you mean nothing?" Usopp asked following after me.

"Whatever happens will happen." I answer. "It was just a failed signal attempt by Caesar."

"He signalled someone?" Usopp looked thoughtful. "But who would he be signalling? There aren't any boats in sight at all?"

"Beats me." I yawned. "I'm going to sleep. See you guys in the morning and no more mistakes on deck."

"Yeah, sure." Usopp turned around to find Chopper standing to attention. "chopper... we have to be qu...i...e...t. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." Chopper whispered back.

I shook my head and made my way back to the room. As I came back in through the door the marine started stirring from her sleep. She looked dazed and not fully awake yet._'Why did she have to wake up now? Just as I had started to think I could fall asleep in here. What is __she__ going to want to talk about.'_

"What's going on?" she asked rubbing her eyes and starting to sit up.

"Nothing, go back to sleep."

'_I hope she isn't the sort of person who gets really moody when she wakes up in the middle of the night. The last thing I need is someone arguing about their rights to good nights sleep away from everyone else. Well... she is a captain I suppose, she's probably used to having her own quarters away from everyone else.' _

She looked at the blanket I draped over her in surprise.

"I got you another one. You looked rather cold." I said scratching the back of my head. _'why is my face getting hot? No, I'm not blushing.'_

She smiled up at me. "Thank you."

_'She has a good smile. I thought she would be angry … or something. Weird. I can never tell what she's going to do next.'_

"I've got a headache." She frowned and touched her head. I stepped up to her and put my right hand on her head. '_No surprise there. She's cold. It's amazing that she was even able to sleep being so cold without going into a __sort of __coma__'__._

"I'll get you something to drink." _'You'll be needing that.'_

"Okay, thanks." She nodded in appreciation. I walked away and went off to find the kitchen.

I grabbed two mugs and put the kettle on and then looked around in the cupboards for the ingredients. '_Okay... I need that... that … this and this... hummmm and __I'll definitely add a bit of __that... Wait a minute, I think this is the first time I've actually made something in this kitchen that wasn't already stewed and strewed up by Sanji. Not since I left Kuraigana Island. Well, Perona was the one that told me how to make this sort of stuff when she was sick, but I didn't think I'd actually use it again.'_

"Never thought anything learned from that girl would come in handy." I muttered to myself. '_Now where were the extra biscuits?... __I could really go for one now.__'_

The kettle boiled and I poured it into the mix of herbs, honey and whiskey, and then added some milk in at the last moment. '_Perfect. I haven't had this for ages.'_

I walked back and just as I was about to open the door I looked round. _'Good, No one around...'_

_'Why am I worried that anyone will see me with two drinks in my hand... Stupid..'_

As I pushed the door open and knocked it shut with my boot. I saw her sit up immediately. Both blankets shifted a bit almost falling from her shoulders. She caught them and pulled them in tighter about herself and sat cross-legged on the sofa.

"Here."

"Thanks." She took one of the cups from my hand and sipped at it in a daze. Her expression changed almost instantly and a light seem to sparkle in her brown eyes.

"What is this?"She sniffed the drink again as if trying to guess the ingredients.

"It's hot water, milk, honey, ground ginger, mint, and whiskey. Best cure for headaches."

_'And most other __injury or sickness __things.'_ I drank mine too. _'Yep, it's good... sometimes I amaze even myself.'_

She sighed and leaned back into the seat. "Thank you. This was just what I needed."

"You're welcome. Sorry I woke you, you seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully before."

_'She looks peaceful now. Didn't think she could have that expression when around me.'_

"No it's okay. I wasn't having a good sleep anyway."

I drank from my cup again and offered her the plate of biscuits after having put one in my mouth already.

She took a couple and ate them with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm just worried about the children that were experimented on at Punk hazard." A frown creased up her forehead. "Their parents had sent out so many different calls for help and I promised them that I would do everything in my power to find them." She laughed at herself a bit. "And I found them, but I won't be able to see their faces when they get reunited to their parents again."

"You really wanted to see that?" I asked.

"Well, yes." She nodded earnestly. "A child doesn't hold back from showing parents that he or she loves them. And it's one of the most beautiful things in the world." She smiled again and closed her eyes, seemingly just breathing in the smell of the drink and relaxing her body.

"Hummm." '_She really is a kind person. Maybe a bit too kind. She didn't even think to question what I had put in the drink before she drank it. Someone else could have easily drugged her up by now, and done something a lot worse than anything she had probably experienced. If she had stumbled across any other pirates and not us on Punk hazard she would not this cheery... but then again she had fought other pirates before and not been kidnapped or defeated so maybe I just haven't seen her __in conquer mode__. How has she survived for this long without __picked off by a shrewd pirate.__'_

"It's one of the main reasons I wanted to become a marine, to help those who are suffering or who get lost find their way back home."

"I thought your main reason was to steal swords." I watched her looking for a change in expression, but there was none.

"No, that was a passion that started later. That was once I had already picked up on the techniques in sword play and had been practising for quite a while. My initial reason to wanting to own a sword wasn't for something like that, but because I wanted to protect people who couldn't protect themselves."

"So, when you're not hunting down pirates for their weapons do you like your work then?" I drank down the rest of the drink. _'That was good.'_

"Yes, but it's extremely exhausting, and there's so much blasted paperwork to do."

She pouted and slouched so much I thought she would start to slide off the couch. _'Ha, she's so weird.'_

"When I get back, I'm going to have the biggest pile ever to sort through and write about."

"Huhm." I nodded to whatever she was saying stretched and yawned._ 'I'm feeling really comfortable right now. I could just Go to sleep...' _And I closed my eye.

After a little while I felt Tashigi move about and put her finished mug down. She then got back on the couch and curled up next to me on the right side pulling the blanket back over her and a bit of me at the same time. 'she … _she's leaning on me... right next to me. Why is she doing that?'_

I turned my head slowly so she wouldn't feel anything and saw her black-haired head resting against my shoulder. She had looked really tired.

I closed my eye again. _'__It's a sensible idea actually, if she is feeling overly cold, then relying on someone else's warmth is the best way to get rid of it. __Well, if she__'__s fine with __doing this__, then so __am__ I.' _

_'I wonder, in the morning … whether … she'll remember...?' _

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**Well, I hope that explains a few things that people were questioning from Chapter 6. **

**Remember to leave a review! :D**

**What do you like most about the story so far? What would you like to see them doing? Sorry, I mean 'read them doing.' What's your favourite moment? And do any of you have any challenges that you would like for me to put these two through?**

**I'm always open to new ideas. :D**


	9. Blanket Technique

**Chapter 9. **

**Did anyone else think that the first strawhat who would actually give someone else a kiss would be Franky? I mean... Wow. I know he just did it on the spur of the moment and it was partly to distract the 'hover' woman, but … Wow … I had no idea that Oda would have a moment like that in One piece. **

**And now, I have been given false hope that he might just start coupling up people for real. Let's see what might have happened behind the scenes or who should we pair up ...**

**Makino and Shanks **(I hope so. :D )

**Vivi and Kohza (**Woah... they're so cute please**)**

**Crocodile and Robin (**Dangerous, maybe happened...abusive... run away Robin!)

**Luffy x Hancock (**Maturity problem? Marriage problem, feels like a remake of Goku/Chichi romance problem... okay they would make a cute but queer couple. :D )

**Luffy x Nami **(Because without Nami... He would just get lost. :D )

**Luffy x Robin** (...hummm... not sure)

**Usopp and Kaya (**I mean that isn't up for debate. That is a definitely)

**Robin x Franky **(Before timeskip... :D ... after timeskip... :O … What has he done?... no.)

**Robin x Zoro **(Supported them at first, but now... not so much. They're a bit boring together...)

**Nami x Robin (**Maybe**)**

**Sanji x Nami (**Maybe, Sanji has tried for so long and so hard... maybe if Luffy x Nami doesn't work out)

**Sanji x Robin **(Okay, but ... she's a hard to read...)

**Sanji x Zoro **(HELL NO!)

**Zoro x ****Luffy** (...Huh?...um... cute... no... Ivankov change Luffy into a girl for a second... wow!... so cute)

**Zoro x Kuina **(cute. Adorable. In an AU...)

**Zoro x Tashigi **(PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! make this happen.)

**Tashigi x Smoker **(If Zota doesn't happen. Yes, please.)

**Tashigi x Law **(No way)

**What do you guys think? Who would you pair up with who? Please No abusive comments about my pairings... but I'd be interested in seeing what other people think. Please comment your favourite pairings in a review.**

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Hard Lines: Blanket Technique

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There was a sudden bang and I woke up instantly trying desperately to get up as quickly as possible, but ending up falling to the floor in a tangle of blankets.

_'He's here. I bet he's here. Doflamingo is here to take back Caesar!'_

I pulled off the tangle and stood up almost tripping over the fabric again in my hurry to get outside, I found a light switch and turned it on, and that was when I saw him still sleeping. Zoro was still sleeping.

"Oi Pirate! Wake up!" I stepped forward and slapped his knee and nothing happened. "Zoro! Look alive, the warlord has come back to get Caesar!"

I reached forward and grabbed Wado ichimonji's hilt trying to pull it from it's place in the sheath on Zoro's hip and the swordsman's eye fell open his hand instantly closing over mine in an iron grip. I felt a dangerous presence in the room again as if a demon was watching me from the shadows.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zoro's eye blazed into mine.

I only briefly paused in shock at his glare, but then shook it off and allowed my own anger to flow. "Well, if you're just going to stay sleeping I'm going to be needing a sword in order to prevent the damned pirate Warlord from getting his evil scientist back!" I shouted and glared back at him trying to pull on the sword again ignoring the pain his gripping hand was inflicting on mine.

He stood up instantly and pulled my hand off the sword and pushed me back towards the couch. "Stay here and keep out of the way!" He demanded and walked to the door.

"No! Give me a weapon you moron!" I ran after him and blocked his route.

"If it is the Warlord then you're no match for him!" Zoro glared back angrily.

"I said, 'GIVE ME A WEAPON!'" I suddenly rammed into him trying to take him by surprise and push him away from the door, but he held his ground.

_'Damn. AHHHHHH! My shoulder! I forgot...ahhhhh...damn it.' _I showed no evidence of pain, and took a few steps back and got into a fighting stance.

Zoro sounded calm, but looked furious. "I said to 'get out of my way.'" He grabbed me kicking and punching by the front of my red top and pulled me back into the main room. He then pulled me face first onto the thin rug I had just escaped from and held me down onto it.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" I yelled through the muffling blanket.

"No, You're going to listen!" He hit my head back into the floor and put his hand on the back of my neck to prevent me from moving. "This is our ship! Our rules! And we are the ones that will defend her. Not some Marine Captain want-to-be. You are not to be seen by anyone else, Got That!"

"Get. Off. Me." I heard the venom in my own voice and was quite shocked out how much I was shaking and how mad I even sounded.

I heard Zoro sigh, "Not until you promise." he loosened his grip a bit and moved his hand away allowing my head to turn slightly.

"**Like hell I'll make a promise with you." **I growled back my reply.

"Fine then." Zoro pulled my arms down and held them to my sides.

"Get off!" I yelled trying to pull my arms free.

"In a bit." Zoro answered, turning me onto my side so that my right damaged arm was underneath me and pushed his weight including my also down onto it.

I held back another outcry of pain and gritted my teeth. '_I don't care what sort of deal the stupid Strawhat pirates __and that horrid Trafalgar Law warlord __made together, I'm going to flipping kill that Gas Bastard and then their plans will be ruined, and that creep will be dead and gone and no longer able to bring such pain and hurt into the lives of __defenceless __children __around__ this world.'_

I tried to struggle some more, and Zoro pulled a corner of the thin blanket over my shoulders and tucked it into my cleavage and picked up the other corner and wrapped it around my foot and then rolled me on the ground once. "**What are you doing? Get off!" **I demanded.

He rolled me once more until I was lying on my stomach. He then straddled me and pushed down on my shoulders again. _'Damn, it hurts so much. Why is he so flipping against me going outside? Damn my pain, Damn __you __Zoro!_'

"Hold still." Zoro said firmly. "Just hold still for a few seconds."

"No Way!" I yelled. He moved his right hand from my right shoulder and placed it into the middle of my back. He pushed hard onto it with the palm of his hand and I heard something 'clunk'. I was still for a second just thinking what on earth he had just done. '_Has he just broken something in my back? Something clicked? What was that?'_

Zoro took that moment to take me by surprise and rolled me up in the carpet the rest of the way and pull the fabric tightly around me. "Oi! Stop it!" I told him.

"In a bit." Zoro sat down on me as he pulled up the other heavier blanket and shook it out so that it was a long spread of fabric. He then lifted me up and put me on that one as well.

"Don't you dare." I threatened as best as I could seeing now what he was planning on doing.

"Dare to do what?" Zoro asked innocently as he tucked the edges of this blanket in as well. "Not to do as a marine tells to me to do. Oh, no I wouldn't dream of it." He rolled me up in that blanket as well tucking in a large quantity of fabric in rolling up my legs that prevented them from stretching out and separating the fabric out. Unlike the first layer this one was not soft and stretchy, but thick and tough.

"You sarcastic bastard! Unroll me at once!"

"Nope, not right now I have things to do." he tucked away some loose fabrics that were in the way of my face and pulled all my messed up hair out of the rolled up fabric. "By the way, I forgot to mention your hair looks cool long." he said as he pulled a few more out of my face.

"What... I …" _'What the hell?'_ I looked up into his eyes. "I'll be cutting it." I said in certainty.

He leaned back to the couch and pulled down a pillow. "I'll be looking forward to it." He said as he put it under my head. I wouldn't admit to it, but having the pillow under my head made me feel ten times more comfortable, and it stopped the throbbing muscles in my neck from aching.

Zoro stood up and patted me on the head. "Now be a good girl, and wait here patiently like any other guest would, as we pirates deal with the problem." He lifted up the coffee table infront of him and put it over my rolled up body.

I could feel my face was red with embarrassment and rage as he gently brushed more of my hair away from my face and onto the pillow. "I'll be back, so try and not break anything okay, or we'll have to start putting cuffs on you too."

"Go to hell." I glared at him.

He grinned and shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not likely to happen." He smirked triumphantly. "I'm afraid I tend to get lost along the way."

He stood back up. "Don't you dare leave me like this!" I glared up at him.

"Go. Stay. Go. Stay. Make up you're mind woman." He raised an eyebrow before glancing back to the window hearing another thudding noise outside.

I felt my blood boiling in rage. "Get the hell away from me! I don't want to see your no-good, stupid face again!"

"So what you're going to give up on taking my sword away from me, because of some stupid reason like that?" Zoro questioned and knelt down again beside me. He tilted my head back and looked deeply into my eyes. "That doesn't sound like you. Did you hit your head too hard or something?"

I felt a wave of many emotions hitting me at once. '_Am I angry, frustrated, sad, worried, hot, cold? Happy, concerned, __mad, confused, or … '_

He put one finger on my forehead. "Well at least you feeling and looking better."

'_Feeling the heavy weight of the fabric on my chest, arms, legs, and... why? Why do I have the sudden urge to touch him?'_ I wriggled a bit in the fabric and looked him dead in the eyes. "You'll regret this Zoro."

"I really don't understand some women." He shook his head. "So, we haven't seen each other in what two no almost three years and the best you can do is yell at me in hatred after I have saved your life, carried you, sheltered you, wrapped you up in bandages and blankets and shared a drink with you." He leaned forward and whispered. "That's not very kind Tashigi, not like you at all." He brushed a few more strands of hair from my face and rested his hand on the top of my head.

All my movements stopped when I felt his breath on my face. _'What is he doing?'_ I felt my muscles in my tied down arms start quivering as I felt helpless and unable to move. _'Is he going to kiss me again?'_

_**'Kiss me. Yes, yes, …'**_

_'NO WAY! What am I thinking?_' I found myself looking at his lips instead of his eyes.

_**'Just once more.'**_

_'No I can't.' _I looked back up into his one uncut eye and saw a questionable, almost-excited gleam behind it.

His face came closer, and my head felt heavy. _'No, stay away.'_

"I'm expecting an apology Marine." He whispered.

'_**His **__**lips **__**are**__** just inches away. Kiss him.' **__'No, if you do that … something __bad__ … will … happen?'_

I looked away from his eyes and I was instantly able to turn my head to the left. "Fine, I'm sorry!" '_Good you didn't let him kiss you, that was sensible.' "_I'm in a bad mood, but pirates really tick me off. Especially the ones that have green hair and always lie." I mumbled the sort of apology that I think Zoro had said he wanted.

He chuckled and sat back up. "Tough luck with me having green hair and all, but it's a good thing I haven't lied to you then."

I could feel his eyes gazing down on me, but I couldn't, no wouldn't look towards him._ 'I have no idea what my gaze would look like right now. Relieved, disappointed, angry, ashamed, desperate. Whatever you do... just don't look at him._' After a few seconds I heard Zoro stand up and pull a sword free.

"See you in a moment, Marine." Zoro said and I heard his booted feet walk across the room.

He opened the door and walked outside. "Oh! Zoro! Where have you been? This thing is..." I heard Luffy's voice call out to him just as the door slammed. And then silence... apart from the occasional thudding sound coming from outside.

_'__Well, I can't do anything about it now, so might as well get some more sleep.' _so I shut my eyes and breathed out.

_'__What the hell was that?'_ I could still feel my heart pounding, and my eyes opened again as I imagined what Zoro might have done if there were no intruders outside. _'I had actually wanted … __**him**__ to kiss me? __What the hell had I been thinking?__'_

I closed my eyes again and shakily breathed out my anger and frustration. _'It had to be the build up of intense emotion and unchecked hatred that had made me think he was suddenly attractive. Wasn't it? Wasn't that how it sometimes worked?' _I took another breath and found I couldn't take a very deep one because the blankets were so tight around my chest and abdomen. '_And maybe that's another reason why. Because of my lack of oxygen. Yeah, that had to be it. Be calm... Calm down, don't let him get you angry._' I looked up at the ceiling and took a few shallow and calming breaths.

_'It was nothing more than an unexpected surprise. Yeah. Nothing more. I was caught off guard and being unable to move just made me think stupidly. Yep, that's it. Just shake it off... If you were able to move at all. Damn him. How dare he leave me like this. What had he been thinking? Did he want to do that?... kiss me? No. He was just making fun of me again._' I tried my best to calm down and not think about Zoro, but the more I tried the more frustrated and angry I felt and became.

_'Why the hell was he even doing this? What was he going to benefit from by keeping me tied down. Having more hands to help defeat an opponent is better right?_' I glared at the door waiting impatiently for someone to come back in.

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**Wow... The old wrapping people up in the blanket technique. I'm surprised that people don't do this more often in movies when carrying kidnapped people from place to place. It's not painful, it's quite comfortable, and it's really hard to get out of. **

**I know this because I and my brothers and sisters used to play something we liked to call 'The kidnapping game.' when we were little (six of us from ages of 2 to 14). Where one of us was the evil baddy, and one of us was kidnapped and the rest had to save the kidnapped person while the baddy had gone around the back garden for a walk...(usually lasting about 2-3 minutes).**

**We were ingenious with our escape methods and with our evil tying up methods. I invented the dislocating shoulder technique (where my hands were tied behind my back by the wrists, I would be able to bring them forward over my head by dislocating my shoulders and untying myself with my teeth, (Don't worry, my shoulders could easily dislocate at that time in my life it didn't hurt to much and I could push them back in by myself). My younger brother invented the shake and break technique where he would shake most of the ropes off himself and … usually end up breaking something as he escaped.**

**For the 'baddy' side... I found it was a lot more difficult for some of my sisters' to escape if I plaited their hair into the rope. And my older brother invented the blanket technique. Where he would role someone up in the picnic blanket and wrap skipping ropes around it and then he would put the kidnapped person into the pirate boat (our blue swing) and swing them really high (it made it harder for other people to rescue the kidnapped person).**

**It sounds terrible, but this was one of our favourite games to play. While other kids my age where collecting Pokemon cards and watching Dragon Ball Z (I had never seen them before at the time.) And that was because Mum and Dad didn't have a TV license and so we didn't watch TV as kids. We read books and played games, and invented new things and did stuff like … the strawhats. I mean it. Really! I'm like … yeah, I'm like a mix of Tashigi, Luffy, and Robin. Sounds stupid I know, but that's what I'm like 'whoopsie do.' I like my special seat. I love food. I can stretch into weird shapes. I want to collect as many star wars books as possible! I want to read and not be interrupted. … **

**Good times. Remember to review! **

**:D**


	10. Raid and Fight After Midnight

**Chapter 10. **

**To JakeofTheGrasslands, Scarlet Alapaap, **

It's nice to see some Nami x Sanji supporters, but it's good to know that ZoTash is top. Scarlet, I love the superhero jumping thing! Children should always try out crazy stuff like that.

**To Nakcabttak2,**

Your life sounds fun! Out in the countryside. Nice. And I totally ship all your pairings as well. I'm not sure about Marco... but I do really like Ace. :D Brings a smile and then a sudden tear whenever I see him. ;(

**To Jujub2001, **

It makes me so happy when people say they love the story... I'm really a lot like Foxy of the foxy pirates... when someone gives me a compliment I fly high... and when someone gives me negative feedback I crash low...

It's quite funny really. :D

Good idea about the kidnapping thing. I'll probably try that out later on down the story line... because well... she's only just been picked up by the strawhats, so I can't wisk her off and away onto another ship now can I? And I can't really imagine Zoro delibrately eavesdropping. I'll see where the story takes me. Thanks for the ideas! :D

**To anna,**

Indeed the seventh chapter did seem a little creepy at first, but now you know what Zoro was thinking... is it still creepy?

.

.

Hard Lines: Raid After Midnight

.

.

I opened the door and stepped outside. "Oh! Zoro! Where have you been?..." I zoned out Luffy's voice as I saw what was on deck. '_Dark creatures with weird aluminus green hoop things around their necks. What the hell are they?'_

I quickly took in all who were on deck. Luffy, Brook, Usopp, Chopper,...Sanji, Brook,... there's Kinemon... oh, and there's Franky. One of them caught Luffy off guard as he was talking to me and punched him in the face.

Luffy turned around and raised his fist. "You bastard!" And punched him into ten of his buddies.

I flipped over an entire assault squad and started cutting them up, I saw Sanji out of the corner of my eye starting a kicking fight with one of the creatures that was twice his height and width. "Oi! Where did they come from?" I asked.

"There are about thirty of them! Watch out!" Sanji. _'Not exactly the answer I wanted to my question.'_

"Thirty!? Really!? I can't see. It's too dark!" Brook sounding terrified and cheerful at the same time.

"They're quite strong!" Kinemon announced.

"Who are they?! Law asked. '_Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if they're just after food. They are creatures after all. But what about those weird hoop things. Why are they glowing?'_ I jumped and sliced down, over another attack and hit another strange looking sea-creature off me.

"**Boom! Bang! Bish! Slash! Crash! Boom!" **_'It's a wonder I can hear a thing in all this noise.'_

The creatures made some bizarre sound that seemed to catch Chopper's attention. '_Damn, What's he saying... can't hear him.' _

"Hey, you guys!" The door from the women's shared room upstairs was flung open, and Nami stamped out of it. "Keep it down!..." She took one glance at the situation and screamed as three of the creatures jumped up to attack her. "Ahahahahahahaaaaaaa!"

Suddenly there was the sound of a really loud whistle ringing through the air, and all the creatures lined up in a row and just suddenly jumped overboard.

"What?" Luffy scratched his head walked to the side of the boat where they had leapt off.

_'Somehow I don't think that's the end of that. These things were sea creatures, if they can jump on land then back into water there no telling when or how they could attack. It shouldn't be too difficult to deal with though. It's not like their fishmen or anything like that. But what was up with that unusual line up thing. Is there a big boss somewhere or something?'_

"Huh? What was that? What's going on?!" Nami yelled from the balcony.

"Nice to meet you, ladies and gentlemen!" '_That voice sound__s__ retarded. Like a__nother __dumb-as __with a stupid __problem.__'_

"Who are you!?" Luffy demanded.

"Hairtatatatapappapaababababa!" I looked up and to see where I thought the voice was coming from. Right above us on top of the lookout room was the shape of a human. '_When did he get up there?'_

"My name is Breed. I'm a Peto-Peto Fruit eater!" He said loudly.

_'His name is Breed?... as in to reproduce?... He was named after a sexual activity? That's disturbingly bad. ...And Peto-Peto? As in pet. Who the hell is this guy?'_

"What's that?! Are you some kind of slimy man?" Luffy yelled.

"That's not Doflamingo." Usopp said, and I looked back at him to see him hugging Chopper as if holding on for dear life.

"I guess not." Chopper agreed with him. _'Come on guys he's not that terrifying. We've face__d__ far worse.'_

"Oh NO!" Law called out and darted forward. My eyes fixed on the spot where the intruder was and saw the bastard Gas Gas man... um... Caesar being carried by one of the sea-bears ... creature things.

"Caesar!" Franky called out.

"Shilololololololololo! Fools! You can't keep me as a prisoner! Don't underestimate Doflamingo!" Caesar cheerfully exclaimed in blissfulness.

"So that idiot guy's working for Doflamingo, huh?" Sanji grimaced.

"Wait!" Luffy leapt forward. And all the animal things turned on him, and one punched him fully in the face and knocked him back.

"Luffy?" Brook looked shocked.

"Ow, ow ow...!" Luffy grumbled.

'_How the hell did that hurt Luffy? __You really are__ an idiot.__'_

"Your body is rubber, it can't hurt!" Sanji shouted down what I was thinking. "Unless that thing can use Haki.?"

"You bastard!" Luffy leapt forward to attack it.

_'So that creepy breeding guy has trained his pets to hit pirates and kidnap gassy scientists. Man this is weird. Did I actually wake up?'_

The Breeding guy gave another bloody-annoying laugh. _'Why is it all the people we fight against have such stupid, creepy laughs?'_

"I'll take Caesar! Goodbye!" Breed said.

"Dammit! Room!" I heard Law starting up his devil fruit power when the boat suddenly rocked. I bent my knees and kept my balance. When there was another sway I ran to the other side of the boat. "What now?" Law called out.

I looked over the side and saw the glowing neck things that were around the sea-creatures in the water. _'What they creating some sort of mean-ass wave pattern to stop us from going after the breeding guy?'_

"Giant waves!" Franky yelled and ran to stir the ship.

"The animals are creating the wave!" I yelled back up at him... _'Did he hear me?'_

"The ship is bouncing up and down! I can't control it!" _'Probably not.'_

"What's that!" Nami called out. I looked up towards her and she pointed. "Guys Look!"

_'Woah, that looks like its one big, mean ass ship. It's flipping huge.'_

Brook sounded terrified. "What the hell is that!?"

"It's got a jolly rodger!" Sanji yelled. "That guy must have been a pirate!"

Law yelled. "We must chase him! We can't let Caesar get away!" I glanced back at him._ 'Woah, he does seem really serious about this. That Caesar guy must be really important.'_

"Luffy! Take the Shark Submerge!" Franky yelled at him. _'Great this should be interesting.'_

"It can only carry three people." Franky carried on. Luffy, Law and Chopper ran to the hidden trap door in the deck. _'Well I suppose that means I get to stay here... Well, that definitely wasn't worth being woken up for. … Well, maybe not yet.'_

I turned around and saw Nami out of the corner of my eye. She looked awful. Like … she was wanting to kill something. _'Time to make myself scarce...'_

"Oh dear." Robin said calmly looking out to sea.

Usopp was shaking a bit. "Oh no! What is it?"

"I just thought about it, but none of the three that are using the shark can swim right? What if they spring a leak and drown?"

"No! Don't say that!" Usopp screamed and cried.

_'Well, this is getting very dramatic. It's been a busy night... It's a good thing I did sleep well while I was actually sleeping. The blasted marine shouldn't have woken me up for this. If people are going to attack us they should at least try and make it worth our while.'_

"Well that was boring." I said. '_Where shall I rest for a bit... I think I need some more shut eye.'_

"ZORO! YOU BASTARD!"

_'What the hell's going on now?'_

I dodged the idiot cook's flying kick before it could make contact with my head. '_Even if we did lose the stupid gassy scientist that doesn't mean he should take out all his frustrations on me. The dumb ass dart brow!' _

I looked back at the idiot cook. "What is it this time?"

"Where have you hidden the lovely Tashigi chan! I can't see her anywhere! I want her to know I protected her from an evil Breed pervert and his pathetic pets."

"She's probably resting." _'__Crap. __I __should have gone back to her in the confusion. I __really hope __no one__ find__s__ her the way I left her.'_

"Where?!" Sanji grabbed the front of my tunic.

"Oi! Stop it! What makes you think I know where she is?!"

"Because I know you know where she is!" He huffed.

"Well I..."

"Mr. Cook?" Robin came up from behind us. "She's resting in the Aquarium room. Zoro didn't want her getting hurt so he told her to remain there." Her eyes seemed to twinkle with her 'I know it all' look as she looked back at me.

_'Crap. Robin, why did you have to say that?'_

"Tashigi chan!" Sanji ran off in that direction. "I'm here to serve you!"

_'Should I go after him, and stop him from going in there and seeing her... should I... shouldn't I... should I?' _I took one step forward and then ..._ 'Oh... might as well... not bother. It's too late now anyway. She'd probably be so mad at me anyway that she'll give me as much trouble as Sanji would.' _

I walked over to the place were that scientist guy had been sitting before he had been taken away. '_Too ba_d _about being woken up too damn early, the marine's back had felt really comfortable too._'

"ZORO! YOU BASTARD!" I rubbed my ear and sighed. '_W__hy does Sanji always yell? W__ell I suppose I should be expecting him to come out any time soon.'_

"What's wrong Zoro?" Usopp asked stepping forward and sitting down beside me. "Why is Sanji so upset?"

"Beats me?" I said.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook sat down next to us with a cup of tea. "Life really is full of mysteries isn't it?"

"You got that right. I wonder what those things were?" Usopp added. "I'm exhausted. I need to sleep. Now I know how you do it Zoro... you know sleeping anywhere... from lack of energy."

"What are you talking about? I always have heaps of energy." I muttered closing my eye.

"Yohohohohoho! Of course Zoro!" Brook patted my shoulder and leaned in as if talking about a secret. "Ummmm,... by the way? Did you get to see her panties?"

"What!?" My eye shot open in shock. _'Underwear? What, No way... what did he think I was doing?'_

Usopp's mouth hung open. "You were doing that?!" he covered his mouth. "No way! Zoro?!"

"NO!" I hit both Brook and Usopp over the head. "I not a pervert like you morons!"

"What is going on down there?" Nami growled at us while walking back up the stairs.

"Nothing." I said. _'I do not like the way this conversation is going.'_

Robin answered her anyway. "Our swordsman seems a little flustered at what our musician thinks he does behind closed doors."

_'What the …. I hate it when the crew get like this.'_

"Are the intruders gone?" Momonosuke asked from behind Robin's leg.

"Yes, they are Momonosuke." Nami said softly. "Do you want something to drink after being woken up from your nap?"

"Yes!" Momonosuke, Usopp, Franky, Brook, Kinemon all answered in loud unison.

Nami looked back at the rest of them. "You can get your own!"

"**Bang**!" I looked up and saw Sanji charging out of the door, almost knocking it over in his hurry to get out. "ZORO YOU BASTARD, MOSSHEAD, NO GOOD, DISGUSTING, SICK OLD FART!"

He swung his stretched leg out and hit Usopp in the face as I dodged the first attack. His nostrils flared. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE WAY YOU TREATED TASHIGI!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" A voice sounded off behind Sanji. She grabbed a hold of him and threw him to the side. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

_'Thats right. You tell him Marine... Man, she looks so hot right now.'_

"I'm going to take care of this fight myself!" she said.

_'Fight? Well...yeah, I suppose I'm up for a fight right now._' I looked her over. '_She's still wearing her pajamas... and her hair is still down. Shit, she looks fantastic... __and really mad__. This is going to be a hard fight. Um... no … what was I thinking again?' _

Tashigi glared at me for a second before glancing around and giving the area a look over. "Where did that ship come from?"

"Well that just..." Usopp started.

She put her hands on her hips and huffed in exasperation. "I see Caesar got away! Just what I would expect from a bunch of lazy pirates!"

"...and I'm being ignored." Usopp muttered.

"I blame you Zoro!" she stated, glaring in my direction.

"Okay... well at least it's not me." Usopp talked to himself.

'_Wow. What's new about that?_' I sighed in exasperation at both of them. '_One second she's freaking hot and interesting, and the next she's annoying and bitchy. Damn, pick a character point woman. I can't cope with both.'_

"If we had both come out and fought together like I wanted to, then none of this would have happened."

_"_What?!" I looked back at her in frustration_. 'You could have prevented it could you? She is so flipping proud. Maybe she should be brought down a couple of pegs... again?'_

"So, give me a weapon! Let's fight and finish this! Right here and now!" She stepped forward and pointed.

I followed her line of vision and saw her pointing to the tall, skinless Brook. '_Woah, her eyesight is even worse than I thought it was.'_

"What? Me?" Brook looked around and pointed to himself. "I haven't done anything wrong. Have I offended you?"

"Um...I'm this way Marine." I waved at her.

I couldn't she her blush in the moonlight, but it was pretty obvious that she was embarrassed. She instantly fumbled for the glasses on top of her head. That weren't there...

"Excuse me." She looked around and touched her hips as if looking for something. She looked back up and saw Sanji beside her again. "I'm sorry, but would you mind getting my glasses?"

Sanji had his heart in his eyes instantly as his smile sprung to life again. "Of course my sweet! Where are they, darling!?"

"The ones that Usopp gave me should be on the table in the other room." She pointed back where they had both come from. "But with all that knocking around I'm not sure if their still on the table or not."

"Don't worry! I'll find them for you!"

_'Moron. Can't he tell she's not interested.'_

"What going on?" Franky yelled down towards us.

"Nothing." I answered. _'Come on guys. You can all just go back to what you were doing__.__'_

"Looks like a lovers quarrel." I heard Brook's whisper.

I looked behind me and I saw Brook, Usopp, and Kinemon sitting down and drinking tea watching us. '_Where had they got the tea from? And what the hell did they think this was some kind of show?'_

"I don't think I've ever seen Zoro duel with a swordswoman before." Usopp stated.

"We don't have any female swordsmen from where I come from." Kinemon began conversationally. "I didn't think they could handle it. It's a man's sport after all."

"What?" Tashigi said. Her sharp ears picking up his words and she turned in his direction. Both Usopp and Brook shuffled away from Kinemon and looked elsewhere as if they didn't know him. She didn't even raise her voice, it just seemed to get lower and sound more deadly.

"I found them!" Sanji bounded up to her and handed her the... goggles?

She put them over her head and adjusted the lenses and looked back at me. "Right. I want a rematch."

_'Oh my gosh. Where on earth did she find those?' _The glasses... or something, looked more like miniature, attached, permanent binoculars. She took a step forward and they slipped to the edge of her nose.

_'I can't hold it back any longer. This is just too ridiculous.'_

"Hahahahahahaha!" I laughed and so did a lot of the others.

I looked around me and saw all the laughing faces. Except for Sanji, he was busy hitting Franky for slamming his hand in laughter into a new dish of emergency food that Sanji had put aside for the women. I stopped laughing when I saw the look of anger and disappointment in her face.

'_I know that look. I know that feeling. __Being laughed at. Again and again. What would I feel like if I couldn't see short or long distance?_' I sighed.

"Fine." I turned around, "Franky?"

He took a couple of breaths trying to stop the laughter. "Yeah Zoro!"

"Could you get us some wooden poles from your workshop, a meter long each.?"

"Why?"

I looked back at Tashigi. "We'll fight each other with wooden swords like we would in training." I pulled off my bandanna from my arm and held it up. _  
_

"We both wear blind folds."

"Fight Blindfolded?" Tashigi looked confused.

"Yep. That way it's even." I pulled my swords away from me and placed them to the side. _'She had better not try anything funny.'_

"Is using Haki allowed?" she asked.

"Yes." I nodded to her. Our eyes kept contact for a few moments and she nodded in agreement.

_'This might __just __get interesting.'_

"WHAT NO!" Sanji stepped in-between the two of us. "You can't fight a woman!"

"STOP IT!" Tashigi yelled. "Don't interrupt! I don't want your opinion on the matter this is between Zoro and me. It has nothing to do with you! So step back and please shut up."

Sanji looked back and forth between us. "But Tash..."

"No." She looked him dead in the eyes. "Please step aside. Sir." she said it with such firmness that it sounded more like a death warning.

Sanji stepped back looking devastated. '_Well, what did he expect? That all women were the same, and wanted to be treated like damsels in distress? No way. Not this one_.'

Franky came back with two wooden polls, and handed one to each of us. Tashigi suddenly became poised, and turned in my direction.

'_Oh! I know what's she doing_.' I turned towards her and got into position as well. I bowed my head to her at the same time as she bowed to me. '_I haven't done this in so long! Man, this brings back memories.'_

Robin's hand appeared infront of Tashigi with another blindfold. Tashigi lifted it up and raised it to her head. "Zoro." She nodded to me and tied it over her eyes.

I raised my own and tied it firmly to my head. 'I_t's been so long since I've used a wooden sword. It's kind of odd.'_

With my own eyes covered I could feel a grin spreading across my face as the duel was about to take place. _'It's just the Marine and me. No one else. I need not focus on anything else. Just her presence.'_

I breathed out and started using my observational Haki. '_She is before me... she's still, unmoving... Bring sword into position. …... Wait... wait... ATTACK!'_

She rushed forward at the same time as me, lightly brushing her sword against mine not trying to bash it down and fight against it, but rather trying to slide down it's side in order to get a clean hit. _'Sneaky.'_ I hit her sword away and took step after step forward. She retreated remaining in the defensive. She was fast, good at avoiding the swings of wooden stick. She ducked out of the reach of one swing and instead of rolling away she used the opportunity to jab at my legs.

I somersaulted over her and crouched down with the wooden sword in front of me. '_This is so much fun. It's good to have someone to play with. … huh, what? No that's not what I meant. Fight with. Practice? No, that's not what this is either... Damn, Whatever this is. I like it.'_

Her blade hit mine and the wood make a good cracking sound one that I felt I hadn't heard for a long time. "Tired Already Zoro?" She asked.

I stepped away and thrust my wooden sword forward again. "Not at all. Why?"

I heard her feet shuffle as she twisted to the left. "I suppose it's only natural, it is in the middle of the night. And I did wake you up from your beauty sleep."

"What was that?" I raised my eyebrow and then realized it didn't matter as no one could see anyway. "You think I'm beautiful when I sleep?" I felt my grin coming back to my face. "What you were watching me?" I sounded as shocked as I could. "What a creep you are."

"You're one to talk." She made another dash forward and cut to the right.

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

_'What? Was she referring to the time before she... damn. Was she awake that time?...'_

"Damn it Zoro! What did you do?!" Sanji yelled from somewhere. I could hear and feel his feet pounding against the ground coming towards me. _'Time to get ready for two.'_

"COOK! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT HIM UNTIL I'M FINISHED! YOU GOT THAT!" Tashigi yelled and stepped out infront of me blocking Sanji's passage. "Clear off!"

_'She really doesn't like being interrupted does she.'_

I could sense her raise her sword again and she turned doing a spin and bringing it down she lunged forward. _'Exactly like Kuina used to do when fighting with me. It's like... I've gone back in time.'_

_'Left... Right, left...High...step back... twist. Left cut...' _

"Come on guys!" I heard Nami's voice sound off above the others. "Let's go and get an early breakfast. Would you like that Momonosuke?"

"Yeah."

"Good, I definitely feel like I need one." Nami said, and I heard a door opening.

"Really?!" Sanji's voice sounded loud and quickly faded away. "Oh, Nami swan! What would you like? I'll make anything for you."

"Well, I think I'll have ..." her voice faded into the kitchen as the door closed again.

Tashigi brushed off another stabbing blade gracefully. '_It was almost as if we were dancing. __I can predict her moves, and she seems to be predicting mine.'_

Kinemon stood up and I heard his weird shoes stamping back up the stairs. "I think I should go and keep them company."

Usopp followed him. "You know if you want food you can just say it."

"Wait for me! I don't want to left behind!" Brook sounded generally heartbroken at the thought.

I sliced forward and hit her saber with force. She stumbled and widened her stance to regain her footing. '_If I keep hammering away at her she will eventually give out. She has a lot of new fancy moves, but if she isn't strong enough to deflect a blow or fast enough to avoid it, she will be overpowered. Surely she must see this. Why does she keep on trying to fight me when she doesn't even drive herself hard enough in her practices.'_

"Franky? Shall we join them?" Robin's voice came from the left?

"What? Why? I'm enjoying this fight."

"Just come."

"Why."

"I heard that Sanji has a new brand of Cola." Robin said.

"What! Why wasn't I told sooner!"

"**Boom boom. Da-dum!" **The doors slammed and soon all I could hear was the sound of our quiet breathing, the rustling of our feet on the grass, and the clanging of wood on wood.

I sprung forward and knocked her blade to the side. She avoided my blade again and stepped out of the way bringing her own down to almost hit my shoulder. I stepped forward towards her again...

"Ouch!"

_'Ouch? Who says that?'_

"What?" I took a step backwards. "I didn't hit you. What are you complaining about?"

"You... stepped on my foot."

"So."

"I'm barefoot. And your boots are hard."

"That's not my fault. Come on!"

I barely missed avoiding her next attack. "That was a shitty distraction." I shook my head in disapproval.

"It wasn't a distraction. You really did stand on my foot."

She drove me forward with an attack and I retreated. '_I'm getting closer to the wall... what is she thinking? That she might defeat me. Not a chance._' I countered her blade once, twice, thrice, and then hit it hard on the fourth time knocking it to her left. I turned myself around in the hit and caught her blade making it thud into the grass beneath us. I pushed her back against the wooden wall and held the blunt instrument across her throat.

I leaned against her. "You should wear a blindfold more often. Your powers of observation are a lot better." I commented sincerely. Then I grinned in satisfaction. "Too bad you're still inferior."

She breathed out a sigh of frustration. "You should wear it as a gag."

I felt her hands reach up to my face and pull it down. As it passed my nose I saw her again. She still had her blindfold on. It was a strange feeling having her shove the bandage into my mouth when she herself couldn't see what she was doing. She pulled me closer and reached around my head and tried tightening the knot...

_'Anytime now...'_

_'Anytime now... Come on how long do you expect me to wait.'_

I pulled it down past my neck. "Time's out." I said yanking hers up off her head too. I undid the knot in it and unfolded it. It was a triangular bandage, one of Chopper's I think.

"Damn. You really did need that." She shook her head and for some reason tried to tidy up her hair.

"Need what, a bandage?" I hit her with it.

"No. a gob stopper." She caught it and yanked it out of my grip.

"If one of us needs a gob stopper, that would be you." I reached out and flicked her nose causing her to jump at the action. She cupped it with one hand and hit me on the elbow with the other.

"You're so rude. No wonder you became a pirate."

"So you know for a fact that all pirates are rude."

"No. But most pirates are very ill mannered."

"So what? You prefer the perfect Marine who befriends you, praises you and your abilities to the skies." I huffed remembering all the stupid marines we had come across. "The sort that praises you and then turns on you, laughing in your face at how easy it was to deceive you. Who's the rude and stupid one?" She became very still, and leaned back against the wall slowly slid down it.

_'Okay, that was only supposed to be another cutting remark not something to get depressed about.'_ "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Your right."

"What?"

"That just happened back on Punk Hazard."

_'Damn! How could I have forgotten Sanji said something about that didn't he.'_

She put her head in her hands and sat down with her elbows balancing on her knees with her back firmly against the wall. "I did trust him. He would often say kind things to us and to everyone, and I believed him."

"Who?" I asked. _'I had no idea that had just happened...__this was on Punk Hazard? Did that really happen to the marine guys?__...'_ "What was his name?"

"Vice Admiral Virgo." Tashigi pulled her hair twisting it hard around her fingers. "Smoker went after him, but we didn't count on him getting to us first." Her arms shuddered at the memory. "He killed people who trusted him a few days ago … and I didn't have the courage to tell the men that it was even him. He had been the one who had supported them, told them they were worth something, and had given them hope and purpose for years." she shook her head. "And then he turned on them and started killing them for the crime of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people."

She looked up. "If it hadn't been for black leg coming in when he did, we might have all died. I was so angry, upset, and filled with unbelief at the time I could hardly do anything." She rolled her head back and let out a tired sigh. "Sounds pretty pathetic doesn't it."

"Not at all." I sat down beside her and pulled off the bandage around my neck and started trying to untangle it. "If it comes down to a matter of trust. Broken trust will always hurt the most. If that had been one member of our crew it would have left us feeling miserable for I don't know how long."

_'What else can I say...'_ "Both Nami and Robin left our crew at some point and during both times Luffy was absolutely certain that there shouldn't be any reason for them not to come back." I sighed. "I was suspicious of both of them, and told the others to prepare for the worst, but Luffy believed in them and somehow told them what they needed to hear and they came back running."

I could feel her eyes on me and started feeling nervous. "I don't have that capability, which is why I don't have any followers, and I don't want any followers."

_'Damn it. What the hell am I saying?' _

"Luffy … has some sort of weird power that gives people new ideas, challenges the way they see life, and what they should do with it."

_'Come on? Where were you going with this?'_

"What I'm trying to say is that once you are in a position where people look up to you or admire you, it always becomes easier to offend and hurt someone because there are more people who will be looking to you for wisdom, attention, or just plain... something or another." I leaned to my side and rubbed the back of my head. _'Damn that sounded stupid.'_

I looked back at her. She was smiling. "Thank you. ... I had no idea you were so thoughtful."

"I try."

"You try to think?"

"Tuhhh." I turned my head away. "I knew you would nit-pick on the small details."

"No. Wait. I was only kidding." I looked back down at her and saw a genuine smile on her face, and sat back down beside her.

'… _She's so … um … Why did she have to look like her? Is the damned universe of childhood promises trying to tell me something?'_

"Besides, about you not having any followers. That's not true. I'm a follower!" She said cheerfully giving me a terrible thumbs up.

_'Is she trying to be funny?'_

"Yeah, but you're only after my sword." I rolled my eye looked across the deck to where all three of them were.

"No, I'm not just after your sword." She hit my leg with fake exasperation. "I want to defeat you."

"Good luck with that." I patted her knee. "You're going to have to work a lot harder than that to try and defeat me." I stood back up.

"I will, thanks for the tip." Tashigi stood back up as well and stretched. I looked at her up and down and then focused on her feet.

"I really did step on your foot." We both looked down to observe the damage. The second toe that somehow seemed to be the longest had gone a black colour in the tip. "'Ouch!' indeed!" I remarked and brought my foot up next to hers. _'Woah, her feet are tiny.'_

The marine elbowed me. "No mocking me!"

"I'm not mocking you, that looks like it hurt."

"Puffh! I'm fine." She pulled her foot away and made her way to the stairs. "Let's go and join the rest of the others for breakfast."

"Sure, hang on I'll just get my swords." I ran across the ship to other side... '_Damn where did they go? This is why I never let them get out of sight.'_

"They're not there..." I looked back at her and saw her pointing in another direction. "They're over there. Come on! How can you fight me so brilliantly, and still not know your left from your right?"

I felt myself get red in embarrassment. "It's just different." I replied picking them up and putting them in their rightful places. I ran back to her and scowled when I saw her shaking her head at me with her hands on her hips. "Don't give me that look." I said.

"It's just shocking." She stated taking a few steps up the stairs.

"Well at least I don't almost kill myself at every possible moment by yelling insults at my enemies and embracing them when their trying to bite my arm and shoulder off."

"Heh! That was a..."

'**Bomp!'**

"A what?" I asked taking a few steps forward.

"Damn it..." She winced and shook her foot in frustration. _'Did she just kick the stair?'_

"You really are blind! Stop walking into things! You want Chopper to take a look at that?"

"No."

"You don't need to be so stubborn." I moved forward.

"NO." She held up her hand to me as if it were a barrier holding me back. "I don't want any help walking up stairs thank you."

I took a couple of steps back and waited. "Fine, after you." I pointed forward and she walked up the rest of the way. When she got to the last step I could almost see something move under her foot, but it was too dark to see clearly.

_'Damn she's unlucky_.' I reached out and caught her in my arms as she fell so she didn't hit her head against the steps. _'What __the heck did I just see._ _Am I imagining things? Was there something there?'_

"Someone just tripped me! Who was it?" She demanded.

"I don't know. I can't see them." I looked down at her and froze.

_'She looks like a ... Since when did she look so_ …' A light wind whipped by us and blew her hair up against my arm.

"Zoro?" She looked up at me questionably. "What are you doing?"

In the bright moonlight seemed to hit her face perfectly and made her eyes look dark and mysterious. _'This position... __is perfect__... Should I...? Would she mind?' _

"Zoro? Could you let me up?" She sounded concerned almost worried. _'That's not right.'_

The moment passed and I looked away from her. "Yeah, sure." I put her down on the first step.

"Thank you." She grabbed a hold of the railing. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"You really do need to be more careful. Tashigi." I touched her elbow and she pulled back.

_'__Maybe she's mad for some reason. __Well, t__hat's one scenario that probably won't happen again.' _I shook my head and walked passed her. _'She should be able to walk by her own blimm'in self.'_

"Kyah!" I turned just in time to catch her by her arm this time.

"What!? You fall up the stairs too?! You're a walking disaster! How have you lived this long?" I pulled her up the rest of the way.

"Something really did trip me!" She yelled.

I raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "I'm not lying!" She pouted.

'_I wonder if Robin had anything to do with it? Can't see any arms though or those petal things_.'

"Well, whatever." I looked back down the stairs to find any evidence that someone might actually be there. "You might want to change your life goals though. If stairs are your nemesis then you need to learn to conquer those first before going onto bigger targets. There are loads of places with stairs, and that could be the death of you." I felt a hand hit the back of my head.

"I'm not going to die falling down a flight of stairs!"

'...falling down

.

**(Flash back)**

.falling... stairs.

down a flight of stairs.'-

-'It's Kuina'-'She died Zoro.'-

_**-'**so young too.-'You never know when you'll go'-_

_**'Bu-bumb!...Bu-bumb!'** …. 'No this was not happening? She's not the same person. She's not the same...' **'Bu-bumb!...Bu-bumb!' **'This was not happening.'_

_-'...falling down a flight of stairs.'-_

_._

"...Zoro? Let go."

"What?" I looked down at my hand and saw it had a firm grip of Tashigi's arm.

"Let go. Please." Her hand was over mine trying to pry it off her skin.

"Why should I? Are you going to be taking care of yourself?" _'Doesn't she know how easy life was to destroy? To lose.'_

"Okay, I'm sorry for giving you such a pathetic hit when you were looking the other way, I should have given you a better, stronger hit, when you were turned back this way. And you shouldn't be so rude, and then I'd have no reason to hit you at all."

_'Damn her! Why did she have to be so... She's so small. So fragile. So womanly.'_

I pulled her to the side away from the stairs and let go of her arm. "You can hit me all you want." I pushed her up against the outside wall of the kitchen and took her head in my hands and tilted it up. "I'll take it."

For a brief second she looked scared. "Zoro? What are you d.."

Her eyes went wide as I leaned in towards her and tilted her head slightly. I gently brushed over and sucked her bottom lip with my own, closing my eyes, I felt something like an adrenaline rush pass through me. And then I was kissing her with a passion I didn't even know I had for kissing. I leaned into her, my body weight keeping her pinned to the wall. She gave me two half-hearted pushes before relaxing into me with her hands coming up to rest on my shoulders. _'This feels amazing._ _She's amazing.'_ I could feel her heart beat pounding against my chest, the softness of her. I let go of her head and ran my hands down her sides sliding one behind her back and the other seemed to instinctively find her arm and gently rub it.

_'This feels perfect. So fucking good. Yeah, forget about status for the moment woman. Just fight with me, kiss me, follow me... take a good damn grip of me.'_

I felt her arms wrap around my head as her entire body relaxed into mine. _'So, this is what blind trust was __like__._' She gently rolled her hips towards mine, and we started rubbing off each other. I felt as though my blood was on fire. '_Woah! I__t's like this woman was made to __test __what I am capable of__.' _

.

.

**Woah, indeed. This chapter took an incredibly long time to write. Considering the fact that I started at 2 in the afternoon, and it is now 2:43 in the ...morning. I'd say I've done my good deed of the week. **

**I need to double check it.**

**6,889 words... I can't belief it. Longest Chapter folks... don't expect another like it for a long while.**

**I was going to wait until much later for them to kiss, but then … this chapter happened... and it started playing itself out in a way that around every possible turn I could make them do something. So instead of 'NO' I need to wait for them to kiss for another 10 chapters I thought... what the hell. I'll make them kiss now. **

**It seemed to work well in the story too as Zoro comes to term with another one of Tashigi's weaknesses...(falling down the stairs) and considering that was the way Kuina died it's understandable that Zoro would 1. get annoyed at her carelessness, and 2. act protective or even possessive of her as it would become clear to him that she was in no means careful enough and gets hurt easily. We've all seen Zoro act protectively over weaker people and considering his reaction to Nami and Robin being picked on in a fight it's quite possible for Zoro to act this way. **

**That's what I think anyway. No doubt I'm going to get heaps of people flame writing me saying that Zoro is OOC. Oh well. I don't think he is. And I hope other people think so too.**

**Keep enjoying the story and remember to review! :D**

**It makes me smile!**

**Abigail Skywalker**


	11. Dangerously Attractive

**Chapter 11.**

**Well, the last chapter was so much fun. I didn't want to put down my laptop. I love it when moments like that happen.**

**To Elisablackcat**

**I'm glad you find this story awesome. :D**

**It makes me feel SUPER when I know other fans of One Piece love my stories. I'll try and update more often, but I can't make promises. Life just isn't steady at the moment.**

**To Random Person**

**You didn't really think I'd leave the story there did you? Shame on you. I love these people, why would I leave them hanging like that? And I am glad that you didn't think Zoro was being OOC.**

**To Nuelisca**

**YEAY! An enthusiastic response! That's what I like to see. I thank you for not keeping quiet and for becoming addicted to this that's awesome! But please don't die. I haven't made you wait too long have I.**

**And thank you for thanking me for writing. It is a pleasure! :D**

**.**

**.**

**(From Tashigi's point of view)**

**.**

**.**

Hard Lines: Dangerously Attractive

.

.

A slightly cold breeze blew and my hair whipped into my face. His hand was closed around my arm, but I felt as if he had gone far away from me.

"Zoro?" I pulled on my arm, but it didn't budge. "Please could you let go?" He still seemed transfixed on the spot. "Zoro! Zoro? Let go."

"What?" His grey eyes seemed to see me again and a frown appeared on his face. _'Why does he look angry?'_

"Let go. Please." I tried pushing and pulling on his fingers that were gripping my arm, but he didn't let go.

"Why should I? Are you going to be taking care of yourself?" _'What was he talking about? Okay, if this was payback for being slapped in the back of the head I can apologize.' _

"Okay, I'm sorry for giving you such a pathetic hit when you were looking the other way, I should have given you a better, stronger hit, when you were turned back this way. And you shouldn't be so rude, and then I'd have no reason to hit you at all." _'There. You happy now? Stop being such a grump. '_

He didn't look any happier. In fact he looked even worse, like he was intending on picking a fight with me for once. His grip on my arm tightened and he pulled me away from the stairs. '_What …. is he doing?_' He let go of my arm and pushed me up against the wall.

"You can hit me all you want." His hands moved up to frame my face and held each side of it firmly. He tilted my head back and grazed my cheeks with his thumbs. "I'll take it." He said. I felt my stomach tightening up into a knot that just didn't seem to want to loosen as his eye locked with both of mine.

My arms had come up between us as he slowly came closer, but that didn't stop him. "Zoro? What are you d.." My thoughts were stopped in their tracks when his lips found my own. I would have jumped backwards in shock if the wall hadn't been there, or avoided his lips if he hadn't had control... '_He's kissing me. Zoro... __you're__ kissing me? What are you thinking? Why are you doing this Zoro?_'

His lips were remarkably smooth and warm and I could taste the drink he had had just a couple of hours before. '_Do you really want me? I can't believe that. __Have you gone crazy_? We … can't …' He leaned against me kissing me harder and faster. I felt his entire body covering mine. I pushed at his chest with my arms trying to give myself space, but he was already too close. I found breathing difficult as his lips became more demanding.

_'What can I do? I can't do anything.'_

_**'Just relax. Take him up on his challenge.' **_

_'Wha...Y**eah, show him he's not the only one who can demand something.**'_

My hands were gripping the front of his robe as if to hold onto reality. I let go of the robe and let my hands slide upwards to his shoulders, and tried to relax against him.

He let go of me and seemed to relax as well, he lips becoming more gentle and his hands firmly and smoothly running down my sides and over my body. _'He is so big. Everything about him is muscle and strength. __Oh, my gosh, m__y heart is beating __too__ fast. Don't shake... just don't shake._'

He rubbed my lower back with his right hand, sliding it up and down between my long hair and my tank top. '_This feels t__o__o good.__' _His hand was so strong that I thought it almost wouldn't even make a difference if I was standing up in my own strength at all, he could probably hold me up in one hand.

_'This is impossible. This has to be a dream. Zoro __couldn't be doing this to me__!__'_ I closed my eyes and stopped my conscience from speaking. I wrapped my arms around his neck. '_Maybe if I tilt my head … I … can … kiss … him... _' "Haaa." pleasure burned through me.

"Ummm..." the sound of his moan made me get bolder. '_Just a little longer.'_

I rolled my hips into him and his hand from behind my back drew me closer. '_It's like we're moving as one person.'_

_'Zoro. He couldn't really be like this. Could he?'_

.

.

**'BOOM!...Ba-bu-doom..PING!'**

I jumped in surprise at the loud thudding sounds, and Zoro pulled away from me and took a few steps back just as the kitchen door opened. Out came Sanji.

_'I have no idea whether I should be grateful right now or frustrated.'_

"Oh, Hello Mr. Cook, we were just coming in." I said instead. 'Whoa. _My voice actually sounds really steady.'_

"That bastard had better not have tried anything!" He glared at Zoro.

_'Oh you have no clue what he's capable of...'_ I sniffed the air again. "Wow! What is that amazing smell?" I asked.

Sanji smiled and turned back to me, his eyes sparkling with an unfiltered joy. "I've cooked us a few cakes to eat with cream and jam, and I have just finished making an amazingly tasty drink just for you lovely ladies!"

Zoro excused himself and pushed past Sanji going back in through the door. _'I need to talk to him about what just happened. Where had that even come from? __**Come on Tashigi. Focus**__!_'

"Well thank you that sounds like it would be lovely." I said.

"After you Blueberry!" Sanji opened the door wide for me. _'Blueberry?'_ and I stepped back into the kitchen/living/dining room. It really was a great space to just do about anything and eat anywhere.

My eyes tracked the room looking for Zoro, but everything seemed a bit too blurry. _'Damn my eye sight. During the night it was usually a lot worse.' _There was light everywhere and the smell of good food overpowered me and I made my way to the table.

"Hey!" I looked to my right and saw the guy with the long black curly hair waving at me. _'That's Usopp, I think...' _

"Hello, may I sit here?" I gestured to the seat on his left.

"Yeah, of course." He rubbed the end of his long nose and and dug back into his snack. After he swallowed he asked. "So... who won?"

_'Was there really any need to ask?'_ I smiled back at him. "Zoro did. He's very talented isn't he."

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, well he is one of the strongest on our crew. I wouldn't have expected you to have been able to beat him." Usopp paused for a bit and took another bite. "So, anyway... you two seem to share a history I know nothing about. So what's up with that? Whenever Zoro used to see you he would freak out and run the other way or hide."

_'He did? Well, I knew he used to run, but hide?… coming from someone else's perspective it sounds a lot different.'_

"So I was wondering, are you two like … old friends or something?" Usopp asked.

"Old lovers?" Brook decided to butt in and declare.

"No. Don't be ridiculous." I shook my head at him and turned back to Usopp. "No I..."

"Young lovers?" Brook tried.

I glared at him. "What do you think?"

"Hummmmm?... Did he get to see your panties?" He asked.

"GA!" I gasped in shock. "SHUT! UP! THAT'S TOO RUDE!" I slapped him across the his jaw bone and sent him flying away from the table.

"Ahhhhh! I just got slapped in the face!" He got up dramaticly. "Although I have no face so to speak. Yohohohoho! Skull Joke!"

Momonosuke laughed at his skull joke. And Nami just face palmed. '_… His Jaw bone... Really bony.'_

"Ahhhhhh! You're actually a real skeleton!" I yelled. _'WHAT THE HELL! __I thought that was just an illusion he kept up to scare people, … like a devil fruit power.__' _

"Yes I am miss. Look I can do this." He pulled his head of hair to the side and his head opened up like a lid.

"Ahhhh... That's gross!" _'How the heck had the strawhats found a talking skeleton. And wasn't he like __ninety__ years old now? That's the age of the humming swordsman after all.'_

"Little lady, I can even..."

"I'm sorry I yelled but you really freaked me out there. And also never say anything like that to me again! It's very rude." I shook my head.

"Hahaha!" Usopp laughed. "You and Zoro are quite alike, you both get embarrassed by the tiniest forms of flirting."

_'What? Zoro doesn't get embarrassed? He's the one that starts the fl... No. I won't acknowledge the fact that he's flirting with me. It's got to be a mistake. A dream... **What happened just a few moments ago ****wasn't a dream Tashigi**. Fine then, it was a moment of insanity for the both of us. That I can except. **Cop out!**'_

"So where'd you meet him?"

"Huh?"

"Zoro? Where? Out at sea? Or did he deliver Bounties to you or something when he was still a pirate hunter?" Usopp carried on.

"No. I met him for the first time at Logue Town." I said.

"Really?" Usopp asked. "With the way you were arguing outside I thought you might have known him for like...more than a few years."

"Well... I have known you strawhats for more than a few years." I said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah I suppose you're right. Wow, time flies." He grinned scratching the end of his long nose.

Nami came up to our table and sat down. "You guys seem to be having a fun conversation. What's this about you and Zoro."

"Oh, we're just talking about how she and Zoro met for the first time." Usopp said to Nami and pointed at me with his thumb. "She met him in Logue Town."

"Yeah, well that's obvious." Nami stated rolling her eyes. "She was working under Marine Captain Smoker and he had jurisdiction over that island at the time."

"How did you know that?" Usopp scowled and shook his head. "And why didn't you tell us then?"

"Because I went out of my way to talk to people on the island and found out that information." She rolled her eyes and looked back at me. "Soooo? How did you meet? In the plaza where Luffy apparently almost got Xt off by Buggy, or...at a coffee shop, in the street, at a sword fighting competition, or did he just wonder into your house by accident and declare he was lost?"

"We met in the market place down a street just after I had protected myself from some criminals that were trying to get revenge on me." 'C_riminals_? _**They were pirates Tashigi. Just say pirates.**__ No. This guys are pirates, that would be awkward to compare the two_.' I coughed. "Yeah, I dropped my glasses and he picked them up for me."

"What's that?" Nami asked.

"Well he picked them up for me, but he also managed to shatter them at the same time."

"Ouch!" Usopp shuddered. "I bet you gave him a yelling."

"Well, yeah at first, but he said he wanted to pay me back and that he was really sorry, but he didn't have any money, so I offered him a job."

"You gave Roronoa Zoro, a pirate, a job?" Robin asked sitting down at one end of the table calmly sipping at her tea with a teasing, twinkle in her eyes.

"It's not like I knew who he was." I said trying to defend my position.

"Hahahahahaha!" everyone at the table laughed and I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Anyway …" I coughed again. "Didn't you notice that he was missing for a while?" I asked trying to get their attention off me.

"It's Zoro. He always goes missing." Usopp stated factually.

"Oi!" Zoro came up behind us and poked Usopp in the back. "You bad mouthing me, be a man and say it to my face."

"Why yes we are Zoro,..." Nami said with a grin, and I couldn't help but start feeling just a little bit sorry for Zoro. '_This is the sort of teasing behaviour he has to put up with on a daily basis? At least with me on my ship I can pull rank and tell people to be __quiet__, but here everyone just yells what they're thinking like there's no tomorrow.' "..._we're just talking to our new friend here about your past."

_'New friend? Why had I been promoted to friend? Wasn't I still prisoner?'_

"Huh?" Zoro took the seat opposite me and glared. "What have you been talking about Marine?"

"Nothing much. Just about the time we met. That's all." I pouted at his rude behaviour.

"And about the time when you got picked up by a girl, taken home, given a job, and all that after having broken her glasses." Franky added. "You're a SUPER PLAYER ZORO!"

_'Crap! It now sounded terrible. Like he had taken advantage of my kindness or something. Which he had! I had been mad afterwards because that was basically what it had felt like. But that wasn't what it was like from the start.'_

"It's not how you're making it out to be. Zoro generally didn't mean to break my glasses, and he did sincerely apologize for it. When he said he didn't have any money to pay me back, I basically thought he was just jobless. So, I gave him something to do."

"Oooooooh!" Nami exclaimed. "That's why! I remember now. I saw Zoro in the Marine Barracks taking out the trash bins while walking past with my shopping. I had totally forgotten about it until now." Nami slapped the table and then my back. "Hahahahahaha! You really got Zoro to do cleaning for you!"

Zoro blushed, and glared at Nami. "She didn't say she got me a cleaning duty."

"But I did get you one." I insisted. _'and he had been a flipping awesome cleaner.'_

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Soon the whole room was in stitches, and I turned a bright red. _'I don't get what's so funny.'_

_'I can't believe I had been so naive at the time. Looking back at it, really makes me look stupid. I hadn't even done a back up check on him at the time. I was so certain that he was a …. hopeless, homeless person? Well, he had smelled like cheap booze. I hope this story doesn't spread. I should have kept my mouth shut.' _

"Anyway," Zoro interrupted the laughter. "Some other marines recognized me and I left. And that was the end of that."

I frowned at his account. _'That wasn't right.__' _"No, first you knocked them out. Then you left some money for my glasses and then left." I added, frowning at his lack of detail.

He briefly gave me a glaring glance and then finished his side of the story. "Yeah that, and then I was given my swords by a shop owner and met up with you guys."

"What!" I gasped, _'Wasn't he even going to tell them properly how he got a hold of them._' I shook my head. "That's not what happened!" I felt his boot stamp on my foot from under the table, and I hid my pain. '_What's his problem? __What a crappy attitude! Fine. I'm going to tell the story from my point of view. __And you won't be able to do anything about it.__'_

I pulled my feet back under my chair. I lifted my hands up. "Who wants to know the story of how Zoro got his swords?"

"Me!" Momonosuke put his hand up.

"Ooooh. I'd quite like to." Usopp said. "He didn't really talk about it much?"

"Hummm." Brook hummed to himself. "I haven't heard this story."

"No me either, it sounds super!" Franky walked closer as well.

"Sounds interesting." Kinemon said and sat down at the table. There were other noises of agreement and still other noises of indecisive muttering. Mainly from Sanji.

"Well, I'll tell the story from the point where I turned up." I pulled my chair in closer to the table. I felt Zoro's boot brush past my leg as he seemed to be looking for my feet. I looked at him and smiled. "You ready Zoro?"

"What's the point?"

_'I had better tell the story in a good way.'_

"**So, ****I ran as quickly as I could back to the shop where I dropped off my katana. I had to prepare for what was about to happen, a fight with the East Blues most famous Bounty Hunter. I would be lying if I went around and said to everyone that I wasn't nervous, I was, but at the same time I was thrilled by the idea of meeting someone with such legendary skills. How on earth does one fight three sword style anyway? Wouldn't the extra sword just get in the way? Did he have a third arm or did he carry it in his mouth. Bizarre. I finally came round a familiar street corner and reached the shop. I ran in and up to the front desk."**

**"I'm back!"** I said**.**** "Did you finish polishing my Shigure?" ****I ****looked right next to me at the counter and there he was, the man that I had just thought had been attacked by Roronoa Zoro."**

Zoro Put his head in his hands and shook it looking down at the table. And Nami starting giggling.

_**"Wait! What was that? Green?**' _I thought**_._ I turned to look to my right and there he was as tall as I remember. Mr Bad Attitude."**

"That's so right!" Usopp said.

"shhhh!" Nami hushed him.

**"Ah! You're Okay! I was worried about you. **I said to him, and thought_. '__**Well that's one less thing to worry about.'**_** "You see, some marines where attacked earlier right where you had been mopping the floors. You were gone though, so I naturally assumed you had been kidnapped. Thank goodness you're okay though."**

_"And then I thought... __**'**__**Wait a minute...**__**'**_

**"The fact that your here means you must have run away. Sad, you really must have no idea how to accept love when it comes your way. Do you? So here's your stupid money back I don't need it, I can't accept money from a heartless ingrate. Besides! Look, I already got some new glasses.** And I put my new glasses on. And I as I did so I caught a glimpse of the sword on the front desk caught my attention."

**"Hah! **_**Wow! What was I seeing?**_** That sword looks just like the 'Wado Ichimonji'. Is this really the sword?"**

_"I couldn't help but reach out for it and hold it up to the light." __I leaned over the table and __re-enacted__ it as if I was doing it right then and there.__ "If it was Wado Ichimonji, the sword has a pure-white hilt with a circular hand-guard. The sheath __wa__s painted white and the type of the blade is suguha or the straight blade. So I pulled it out of it's sheath. I was not disappointed."_

_I glanced around the table and was surprised that everyone really was listening quite intently to me._

**"It's beautiful! This has to be one of the 21 O Wazamono Swords. I said. I reached into my pocket to grab my notebook of different types of swords. Hummm, See! Look at this! It says here that this sword is worth no less than ..." **

Zoro reached over the table and put his hand over my mouth. "No price calling."

"What?" I scowled at him. "Fine."

"_**Wow!**__**' **__I __thought__**. **__**'**__**What luck! Did he had had any idea of how **__**amazing**__** a sword he was carrying around with him**_**. I glanced up at the man before me and noticed he was giving me his full attention. "But you're broke." **I said **"How do you have this legendary sword?"**

_And so the man at the counter got mad about something and started yelling at me._

_"Because you were obstructing his business." Zoro said with a grin. "By telling customers the prices for the swords they were holding while the owner was trying to buy it off them."_

_"Yeah, whatever." I shrugged. "I didn't like that guy. Anyway he told Zoro that Zoro could pick out two swords from a couple of barrels in the corner of the shop for 50 berries a piece." _

_"**It dawned on me that I really had no idea who this young man was, with a sword like that he could be the last of his family, the sword being passed on from father to son for generations, he could be a run away, he could be a thief, or on a more positive thought maybe a collector, freelancer, or supplier, who was broke... maybe not. **_**He turned away from the store manager walked over to the barrels of swords in the corner." **

"**When he was within hearing distance of me he said, ******"AH! What is that guy's problem******?" **_**I wasn't sure how to answer that question so I didn't. But something else crossed my mind, Two Swords? **__**I turned towards Zoro and asked him." **_

**"You must lose a lot of swords if you think you need to carry three around. Unless you're like that famous pirate hunter."**

**"******Pirate Hunter, Yeah******... "**

_**Maybe he had never heard of him.**_

**"He's quite the legend, His name is Roronoa Zoro."**

**"******Oh yeah, him. ********I hear that name a lot.******"**

Usopp started giggling at the absurdity of the situation.

"**Yeah, **I said,** He's known throughout the East Blue, for his amazing sword skills, but he's not a good person."**

Everyone at the table burst out laughing, except for Zoro who was looking at me with another strange expression.

"**A swordsman who's just a bounty hunter is no honorable swordsman at all. Everything is backwards, it's to bad for a real swordsman. Pirates and Bounty Hunters as swordmasters, it just doesn't make any sense. They have most of the world's most legendary swords too. It's a real tragedy."**

I cleared my thought. **"******Hm, I don't know," ******I said in a deep manly voice ****imitating Zoro as best as I could****.**

At that there was a huge outburst of giggles and laughter around the table.

I carried on****. "...it's the kind of thing you have to look out for on a case by case basis I guess. You never know what people are capable of."****

"And then I saw Zoro pick up..."

"Hold on." Zoro interrupted. "You forgot to add in your own little rant about your goal in life."

"Well, I skipped over that. Because I don't think the others would be interested."

Zoro stood up and spoke in his version of a high-pitched girly voice. **"This is my Shigure! I'm going to work as hard as I can to perfect my skills and then one day I'll take back all of the legendary swords, because the filthy hands that hold them have no right to wield them. Yes! The twenty-one 'O Wazamonos' I'll find them all!"**

All the guys around the table were in stitches with laughter and Nami and Robin giggled amongst themselves. I blushed a bright red.

"Oi!" I tried hitting him from across the table, but he avoided it. "I didn't sound like that!"

"Yeah, you did."

"No I didn't."

"Get on with the story woman." Kinemon interrupted, and Sanji hit him in the face.

"Let her tell her story in her own time!"

I frowned at him, but I closed my eyes for a few seconds to get back into the flow of story telling. **"And so Zoro**** caught my gaze with his own issuing an unheard challenge. "******And This one? ****He said,**** My Sword. The 'Wado Ichimonji'?"**** I mimicked his voice again dropping down another octave.

Sanji, Usopp and Brook laughed really hard, and Zoro scowled.

**"Ah... I'm not trying to get back the swords for my sake I just don't want ****criminals**** to have them."** I said in my normal voice_. 'Zoro wasn't going to be imitating me again.'_

"**He turned his back on me to continue looking for an average sword in the barrel of junk, dull Blades. Then I saw him stop, stiffen and lift up one that was exceptionally beautiful. _'__What on earth was that doing there?__'_ I reached for my book again."**

I pretended to pull a book from my a fake jacket and pull it up onto the table a flip through invisible pages.

**"I think that's... let's see... Just as i thought! Kitetsu! Kitetsu the third. It's predecessor Kitetsu the second is an Owasimono sword, and Kitetsu the first before that is listed as a top O Wazamono sword."**

I lifted my hand up in front of me pretending to be Zoro as I remembered him.

"**He held the sword out infront of him like this, and just stood there looking at the hilt for the entire time I spoke to him. Finally he drew it out of it's sheath and revealed it's beautiful rare handiwork. Wow!' I thought and I turned back to the owner."**

**"Hey! Are you really only selling this one for 50 thousand Berries?"**

**"Yeah.." **he said."

**"Unbelievable! That's an authentic Wazamono." **I said.** "Wow! You have to buy that sword! It's worth at least a mil ..."**

I covered my mouth again. "Oops. Sorry Zoro."

Zoro shrugged and went back to drinking.

"So, **I looked back toward the sword and the man holding it. He had a suspicious expression on his face. I tried to convince him before the manager changed his mind. "You can't passed it up it's too valuable."**

I looked around the group of listeners. "Now, this sword had been a problem for many a man and what Zoro did next was really strange." I frowned and put on my Zoro voice. **"Let's see which one is stronger the sword or my Luck."** _'no wait that wasn't quite what he said'__._.. I looked back at Zoro questionably, hoping for a nod or a shake of the head. "Wasn't that it?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm surprised you remember this much." Zoro muttered into his mug.

"Yeah! And so anyway. He threw it up into the air. And I was simply amazed at how it spun around and as it came down the blade curved all the way around his arm without even touching it! Not even leaving a scratch, and it then embedded itself in the floor, **'Slish! Boom.'**" I hit the table. "almost up to the very hilt!" I carried on excitedly.

"So?" Usopp shrugged. "He does that sort of thing all the time."

"What do you mean 'SO.' It's incredible! No one has ever been able to throw a terrible sword like that one up into the air and have it come anywhere near them without being cut by it, it's practically unheard of. It is cursed after all." I said animatedly.

"WHAT!" They all yelled together. '_Didn't they know that already?'_

"Ahhhhhhh! Throw it over-board!" Usopp cried, jumping up from his seat.

"Brilliant indeed, a true test of manliness." Kinemon stated nodding his head.

"Super COOL!" Franky yelled.

Nami turned towards Zoro reaching for the swords. "How dare you bring that with us without our permission. Break it now! And throw it away!"

"I knew there was a reason so much evil had befallen us." Robin sipped on her tea. "I never would have thought it had to do with an ancient curse. I am not the only creature that brings the darkness as I thought I was."

"NO WAIT!" I yelled out. "It's a really interesting story. I at first also thought having a cursed sword would have been horrible too, but Zoro proved me wrong."

"What'u mean!?" Usopp held his head in his hands having gotten up from his chair and hidden behind Sanji whom had come to the table to join in on the conversation, and was listening with a serious expression on his face.

_'Woah, Zoro must not have spoken to any of them about how he got the swords or why. Time to get back into storytelling mode.'_

"Well, Kietsu the third that's the sword's name is a part of a group of swords that have been cursed from their beginnings, they have been described as the demon cutters, and it is said that all the blades of the demon cutters are constantly seeking blood." The looks of horror on some of their faces hadn't really changed much. "So, there was a time when they were used by men of great valour, but once these men died by some terrible deed or another whenever a new owner tried to pick up one of these swords and use it for his own purposes he would usually bring about his own demise. It still remains a mystery as to why or how this happens, but people reacted to the knowledge in fear. There are legends and rumours that one man tried to break one of these swords in two, and he was found by his wife the next day cut in half. Anyway, the curse when it's activated, seems to only affect the swordsman of the blade rendering him useless in battle or ends up killing him."

"You know a lot more about it now than the other guy in the shop did." Zoro raised an interested eyebrow, giving me a questioning look.

I grinned. '_Of course I did. What did he expect me to do after finding something like that out? Sit on my ass and just forget. Hell, no! __After seeing that moment, w__hat I had just witnessed, I would not forget.' _

"Yeah, well when I had some free time I studied the history behind those swords. It really was so fascinating." I rubbed my hands together in excitement. "Although I didn't like you at the time. I really felt privileged to have been there to see an actual Kietsu blade accept an owner out of all the odds."

"What are you talking about, Tashigi?" Sanji frowned. "Like Swords have souls of their own?"

"Th-they d-do." Zoro and I said almost at the same time looking at Sanji as if he was saying something bizarre. We caught each other's eyes and looked away, both of us reaching for whatever we were drinking. The rest of them looked on at us with questionable expressions.

I finished my drink and dropped it to the table. "So Zoro!..." I started.

"So Marine?" He looked at me over the rim of his mug giving me a questioning look.

"You haven't told me what happened to your blade Yubashiri yet."

"You want to know what happened to Yubashiri?"

"Of course. It was an amazing gift after all." I stood up again and looked around at everyone. "The owner of the shop, Ippon Matsu, went from being really rude and unkind to actually giving away his best sword Yubashiri to Zoro." I put my head in my hands. "It was a family heigh loom, I think. It was a beautiful long sword, graded as a 'Ryo Wazamono' sword. And it means Snow Run, or the Snow Chaser, such a beautiful pure name."

Zoro smiled. "Yubashiri was an excellent sword. I travelled everywhere with it, and it was really reliable and had great handling." Zoro sighed at the memory. "Unfortunately, a marine Captain at Enies Lobby touched it with his Devil Fruit powers and he rusted the blade away."

"Oh no." I felt a part of me die inside.

"I kept Yubashiri's remains with me until we reached a suitable grave site on a ship island, Thriller Bark. It was the resting ground for Brook's old crew as well."

I nodded my head, and let out a sigh._ 'It couldn't be helped. Sword's die as well.' _I clapped my hands together once and bowed my head. "You're presence will be surely missed Yubashiri. I'm sorry I couldn't save you from this man."

"Hey!" Zoro scowled. "I don't like what you insinuating."

"That's a big word for you." Sanji said.

"Shut up!" Zoro responded. He turned back to me. "It was a gift remember. I didn't like steal it or something."

I grinned. "Yeah I know. I was just teasing. What I really want is your Wado Ichimonji."

Zoro snorted and put his hand over his blades. "You're not getting it."

"We'll see." I said thoughtfully.

"Tashigi? How much is this Wado blade worth?" Nami spoke up looking over at it in a new light.

I scratched my head. _'How much was it again?'_ "I think it's lowest bargaining price should start at 10..." This time I felt a slightly lighter hit from Zoro's boot against my leg. I looked back at him and saw him shaking his head. _'Blast, I almost forgot again.'_

"Wait, tell me." Nami said.

"Nope. A swordsman has the right to keep some truths about his swords secret." Then I grinned, leaning forward toward Zoro eagerly. "But...speaking of truths..."

"What?" Zoro looked flustered and angry at the same time.

"Where did you find Shusui?! I'm still waiting to hear the story behind that one. That sword was rumoured to have been lost for years. Some say that it was buried with his owner some say it was lost the depths of the sea, and so on..." I waved my hand dismissively and leaned over the table in anticipation.

"He stole it from Ryuma's grave!" Kinemon accused.

"I told you already! I didn't steal it?" Zoro glared back at him.

"Where did you find him then?" I asked.

"On Thriller Bark. The Ryuma Guy gave it to me."

"Thriller Bark?" I frowned, "What's that? A Pirate hangout?"

"No." Brook interupted. "It was the place where people's shadows would be stolen from them. Where you find you can no longer walk into the sun, and no one wishes to see your face. Not that I have a face to begin with. Yohohohoho!" He laughed and then became really miserable. "I have no face..."

"Don't get depressed brook." Usopp said. "At least you don't have any age lines."

"Huh?" I am still confused.

"It's where we went to get Brook's shadow back." Usopp explained. "That feels so long ago now." he reminisced.

"I still don't understand." I said.

"It's the place where we came across the shadow stealer Moria before he became a warlord and Dr. What's-his-face and his zombie mix-match army." Zoro stated.

"What?!" I looked at him in surprise. "You guys met Moria and Ryuma at the same time? No way." I shook my head.

Zoro looked back at the rest of them. "We met him right?"

"YES." Came the loud chorus and nodding of heads.

"Wow!" I shook with anticipation. "So what happened! Please tell me!? Ryuma? Was he like the zombie boss?"

Zoro grinned. "Almost, but the Zombie boss turned out to be some sort of Giant guy."

"I think his name was Oars." Usopp said.

"No, it was Oz." Sanji interjected.

"No, it was Oars. I'm sure of it." Usopp scowled.

"So that guy was a giant,..." I waved my hand at them impatiently. _'The size or the name of some giant wasn't what was amazing about this tale.' "_thanks_." _I turned back to Zoro. "But what about the legendary swordsman Ryuma? When did you get his great sword Shusui? Did you defeat him in battle?"

"Yep." Zoro nodded, and leaned back in his chair crossing his arms behind his head. He grinned and then pointed at Brook the skeleton. "He had that guy's shadow in him powering him up, but he was still very much like himself. Except for the fact that he was dead." He yawned, "But apart from that there isn't really much ..."

"Come on!" I felt excited and started rapping and hitting my fingers onto the table in a rhythmic pattern trying to calm myself down. "You've got to tell me. Please!?"

Zoro shrugged. " It won't really matter if you hear it from me or not. I bet you don't really care that much about it."

"I do!" I insisted. "Please!?"

"I don't think it really makes any difference if you don't know." He looked at me from beneath half closed eyes. "No..."

"Please! It matters to me!" I clapped my hands together and bent my head slightly. "Please. Zoro?... Please!? Please!? It happened two years ago, and I didn't even hear a whiff of this story! Don't you want to be remembered for your incredible feats? Come on!"

He scratched the brim of his nose and sighed. "Okay then, since you insist." I saw a small hint of a smile cross his lips.

"Yeah!" I turned back around. "Sanji could you get me some paper and a pencil!" I said hurriedly.

"What? Why?" he looked between us as if we had both gone mad.

"Because I really need one!" I saw Zoro smirk out of the corner of my eye. As he watched me tell Sanji what I needed.

"Would you like a slice of cake?" Robin offered me a piece.

"Uh, no thank you." I tapped my fingers impatiently.

I looked up at Sanji arriving with the paper and pencil in hand. "Thanks!" I took it from him and leaned back onto the table again. "Okay Zoro." I smiled at him and raised my new pencil. "Think of this as an informal interview. I want to hear everything that happened in this fight with the legendary swordsman Ryuma." I couldn't help but give off an excited squeal of anticipation.

_'__Last fight of Livingdead swordsman:__'_ I wrote down. '_No. I need to give it a title that includes Zoro.' _

_'Pirate Zoro vs the shadow of the past.' 'No that doesn't feel right. It's just not awesome enough...'_

_'Roronoa Zoro and the walking dead: The last duel of Ryuma.' …. 'no that still doesn't sound quite right.' _I looked back up across the table, and saw Zoro with his eyebrow raised._ 'I should write down the title later. I need to focus on getting the information first.'_

I leaned forward. "Right..."

Zoro leaned forward at the same time and interrupted. "Are you ready sword geek?"

"I'm ready!" I said in excitement. "But remember," I waved my finger in between us. "I want details like movements, flips, what was he wearing, what did he say? Where were you fighting? How long was the battle? Not your terrible chess piece storyboard telling sentences you were giving before."

Zoro nodded. "Got it."

"So the main fight started in Hoback's lab..." He stopped.

"Yeah..." I nodded writing it down.

"And I just remembered..." He paused looking uncomfortable. "I promised him that I wouldn't dishonour him by telling that story to anyone." He leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "Sorry, but that is, I think, the only fight that I have promised to someone I wouldn't recount."

"Oh...Okay..." I felt my energy deflate and I wilted onto the table, feeling a pout come onto my face. '_this sucks! Just as I was about to write about a living-dead legend._' I let out a long sigh.

"That's not the only amazing thing that happened at Thriller bark." Usopp spoke up.

"Oh yeah." I muttered sounding very uninterested.

"There was Gekko Moria's power."

"Yeah? How does his power work?" I asked half-interested.

Robin spoke up clearly, and calmly cutting through the noise of chit chat until it stopped completely. "All the bodies he used had to be dead or inanimate, and in order to make them move he had to use a living person's shadow. In order to do so, he would point a bright light on you, and cut your shadow off. His devil fruit power was the type that would allow him to control any shadow at will. And once you had your shadow taken away you had to stay out of the sunlight, or else you would burn away."

"What?" I looked up at her in shock. "So, the souls … shadows of his an entire army of zombie creations had to have come from another unwilling person who might or might not be dead or have died?"

"Exactly." Robin nodded.

"Oh my goodness!" I shook my head. "Did the higher ups know how he uses his powers?" I spoke to myself.

"Of course they would have done." Zoro said.

"But then why would they..."

Zoro stood up and stepped away from the table. "Okay, that was a good break." everyone's eyes followed him.

"Where are you going, Mosshead?" Sanji asked.

Zoro ignored him and looked at me, he nodded back towards the door going outside. "Hey Marine? I want to speak with you."

**.**

**.**

**End of Chapter 11.**

**And oh my gosh. That was a difficult chapter to write.**

**The retelling of the past was pulled from my other story Tashigi's Heart chapter 6. A sword's soul.**

**Dun...dun … DA!**

**P.S. **

**If you want to watch the episode where Zoro receives Kietsu and Yubashiri it's 49. **

**If you want to watch the episode where Zoro's blade Yubashiri is murdered by Shu it's 309.**

**If you want to watch the episode where Zoro fights Ryuma it's 362. **

**If you want to watch the episode where Zoro buries Yubashiri it is 381**


	12. Hidden Intentions

**Chapter 12: **

**To Jujub2001**

**It is strange that you thought to ask about Star Wars right now. As I had already started writing this section before I had actually finished with writing chapter 11. I've decided that only you can decide on what you want to imagine tripped up Tashigi. Maybe it was her own clumsiness, or maybe it was something else. I hope this update was fast enough for you. :D**

.

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Hard Lines: Hidden Intentions

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"Where are you going, Mosshead?" Sanji asked.

Zoro ignored him, and looked back at me again. "Hey, I need to speak with you, marine." He tilted his head and pointed outside. I got up from the table, folded my piece of paper, and said my thank you's to Sanji for the excellent food that I had hardly tasted because I was so busy talking and followed Zoro outside. It was only after I noticed that Zoro seemed to be leading me up to upper observation deck that I started to get worried and my cheerfulness started to die down.

_'This might not be a good time to be alone with him Tashigi. Remember what just happened about an hour ago? It'll be fine. It's not like he actually likes me. It was just a random idiotic moment for the both of us.'_

Zoro walked up the ladder into the observation room and then to one of the many window seat benches and sat down. He seemed to find the situation as awkward as I did and started figgiting until he let out a sigh and pointed out the window. "This is my favourite place to come and see the view. I like high places."

"I like high places too..." I said coming up to the window to look out of it. It was a very impressive view. The moon was still bright in the sky, but it did look like it was about to set below the horizon. _'We've almost been up all night... so much for getting a good night's rest. … The view is really good.'_ "...but I have found that gravity doesn't like me very much, and I'm very cautious around most high places."

"Very sensible." Zoro nodded giving me a smile. "You're quite good at telling stories aren't you?"

"You think so?"

"Yeah, it was interesting hearing about that again." He said and became quiet again.

_'Damn, how am I going to start up this conversation. I need to talk to him about what happened earlier, what happened... in fact I just need to talk to him about every little thing and weird messages he's been sending my way. I can't just keep on ignoring it.'_

"So, is your shoulder feeling better by the way?" Zoro stood up and leaned against a window facing me.

"Yes, although when I barged you … downstairs that time, it really hurt then."

He smirked, "Well, I'm not surprised. That was a pretty stupid move."

"Yeah, I know, you don't have to tell me." I said. There was another uncomfortable silence that seemed to be spreading.

"So, um..." Zoro scratched the back of his head again. "Tashigi?"

"Yes."

He stood there for a few moments before lifting up the lid for the seat of the bench he had been leaning on. _'So it was more than simply a window bench then?'_ He reached into it and pulled out Shigure. He stood up and held it out to me. "I don't want to see it drawn unless you are defending yourself."

_'Yay! He is actually giving Shigure back to me! Hurray!' _

"Thank you Zoro." I bowed my head and took a hold of my sword. He didn't let go. "Um ... Zoro?"

"I want you to promise to stop trying to use this blade on me."

"I'm a marine. I can't promise you anything like that."

He pulled it back out of my hands and lifted it high above him. "Then I can't give it back to you."

"Hey!" I pulled on his sleeves and tried reaching for it.

"Oi! Let go!" Zoro pulled his arm away from me.

"Give me back Shigure!" I pulled him towards me and he grabbed a hold of the edge of the window frame preventing me from pulling him my way.

"No, not until you promise."

"NO WAY! Shigure's my blade! You have no right to keep her!"

"Yes, I do. You owe me your life."

"No I don't!" I gave him a massive pull and his fingers slipped. I stubbed backward trying to get my balance, but tripped over my own feet. They had somehow managed to get caught up in Zoro's feet as well and I tripped him up too and we both landed on the wooden floor with a thud, with Zoro landing on top of me.

It wasn't like how it was written in stories like it was somehow a romantic moment or something. I had the wind knocked out of me for a few seconds before I noticed that Zoro hadn't tried moving. "Well, isn't this comfortable." Zoro smiled down at me. _'Well of course it was for him! He had landed on top of me after all_.'

He pushed himself up a bit and raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea you could be so direct." he added in a shocked voice.

"Get off!" I pushed against his chest and he stood up. "Where's my sword?" I asked.

Zoro raised the scabbard, and he looked at it in surprise when he saw it was empty. I looked around the room and there in the opposite wall Shigure was embedded. Zoro laughed. "And that's why you shouldn't fight over weaponry."

I ignored him and walked over to it and pulled at the sword. It had somehow managed to land in-between two board slabs and was very much stuck. I tugged and pulled at it, but it didn't seem to want to budge.

I felt Zoro's arms come round me and take a hold of the hilt as well._ 'No way!_' I shoved my body back against his and elbowed him in the rib cage.

"Woah," Zoro held up his arms in mirth, "Come on Marine, I'm only trying to help."

I turned my attention back to pulling my blade out of the wooden slabs. "Will you please stop calling me that?!"

"Yeah, sure Tashy."

"Uhhhhh..." I groaned in frustration. "You really make it so difficult sometimes."

"I know. I really do." he said. I could still feel his watchful eye piercing me through my back. "You could be a little nicer too though. Come on admit it. Sometimes you think I'm alright."

_'He did have a point.'_ I sighed and let go of Shigure. I shook my fingers as they felt sweaty, dusty and sore. "Occasionally, maybe." I glared back at him. "When you're not acting like a scoundrel."

He stepped closer and picked up my hand in his. "Scoundrel?" He asked in innocent shock as he looked into my eyes.

I nodded. _'Yes take that, it was supposed to be an insult.'_

"Scoundrel?!" He said more dramatically. I nodded again. _'Okay now he's getting weird.'_

He smirked. "I like the sound of that." '_What! He wasn't supposed to like it. Wait... he's too close. He's too near.' _I pulled at my hand as I felt him begin to massage it gently between his own.

"Stop that." I said. _'Why does my voice sound so quiet and pathetic?'_

"Stop what?" he asked, faking innocence again.

"Stop that." I looked down at what his hands were doing to mine. '.._.come on... come up with some excuse!_' … "Well, my hands are dirty."

_**'What are you thinking! That was crap!'**_

Zoro grinned and pulled my hands closer to him. "Yeah? Well, my hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of?"

"Puffh! Afraid?" I tried my best to sound as if I was laughing at his comment. I looked behind me and almost fell backwards onto the bench. _'Nothing but window, __wooden wall, sword,__ and bench. How did the window get behind me?'_

"Yeah, well you're trembling." he stated, looking at my hands.

"I'm not trembling." I shook my head willing my hands to stop. I couldn't tell if I was trembling or not. 'L_ook away from him. Look away. Look away!' _I managed to look down at my hands, but that didn't help much. _'They are trembling._'

"You know what?" Zoro spoke and I glanced up, he was looking at me intensely. The light of the moon on his face. "I think you like me because I'm a scoundrel. I don't think you've had enough scoundrels in your life."

_'Breathe... just breathe... he's too close.'_ I shook my head, still unable to look away. His voice had lowered itself to a quiet rumble. Zoro was inching closer with a knowing grin on his face.

"Well, I happen to like nice men." I said.

"I'm a nice man." He leaned in whispering.

My heart skipped a beat.

"No you're not. You're a ..."

His lips closed mine, as he kissed me, but this time he was gentle. And I didn't fight him. It felt so good to be kissed by him. I could taste the sake he had just had on his lips and I felt my own tingle at his touch.

He pulled away for a brief few seconds before he leaned back in again. I reached up and held his face in-between my hands and pulling him down to kiss me.

_'Wait did I just initiate that one? This can't be happening to me again. I can't actually want this... No?.. **Yes... Yes..**.'_

He slipped an arm around my waist as the other hand leaned against the window behind me as if he needed the extra support to hold himself up. He pulled me into him as he had done downstairs, but this time I wasn't being crushed. I felt the tightening feeling start in my stomach again as he carried on kissing me gently. Our lips rubbed and sucked lightly against each other and I felt as if my mind was being murdered in pleasure. He straightened up and pushed himself away from the wall, and pulled me closer with his now free hand. He began to sway me with his body. I couldn't tell whether it was in time with the ship's movement over the waves or whether it was just between us.

I felt light in his arms, with my feet almost dangling off the floor kicking the edge of the seat, it was as if he found that I weighed nothing at all. I wrapped my arms round his neck. 'W_oah, this feels so good.'_

Zoro's hand slipped down over my backside and grabbed a hold of my thigh. All of a sudden he gripped both my legs with both of his hands and hitched me up so I had somehow straddled his hips. His kisses got more demanding again, and I found all my limbs were starting to feel weak and shaky.

_'This feels too good. I need to stop. This is getting out of control.'_

I pulled my head away and he raised his hand to it and looked at me. "What's … … wrong?" he breathed in. He almost sounded as breathless as I felt.

I touched his hands that were gripping my legs and he let me go, both of us watching my legs slide back down him, and I collapsed on the wooden seat by the window. _'Damn he __was __too__ good. __I shouldn't be __ liking t__his__.__'_

"We shouldn't be doing this." I said.

He looked me up and down. "Don't see why not? We both wanted to didn't we?"

"That's not the point." I shook my head. "We need to stop."

"Why." He frowned.

"Why... just because. It's not right."

"Do you want me?"

_'He can't just ask me that __out of the blue__.'_ I looked down at my arms they were visibly shaking now. '_stop shaking. Stop shaking!_' "Zoro … we can't just..."

"Do you want me?" he said again. He put two curled fingers under my chin and tilted it up.

"This is not about what I want, Zoro." I tried to explain, I looked away from his eyes. '_It's about our differences in political agenda, our place in the world, our tempers, our choices, our crews, our futures. Nothing in my future has a place for __you__. I can't change anything.'_

"Tashigi?" _'He used my name again. He rarely uses my name_.' I looked back at him only to find that I couldn't look away again.

He reached for my hand and picked it up looking at it closely he rubbed his thumb over the scars and calluses I had got from training. He then lifted it up to his lips and kissed my palm. I took a deep breath in and looked back up at him waiting for what he was going to say.

He let me go, but kept his hand pressed on the wooden boarder right up by my head. He was so close I could see his eye look me up and down. I suddenly felt very naked in just pajamas. He briefly looked at my chest and then refocused his eye on my face.

"I want you. So badly right now." He whispered slowly. A wave a warmth flooded my body and I felt unbelievably hot.

I felt stupid, small, and shaky, like a deerlope caught in the sight of a tiger, except that the tiger had just asked permission if he could eat it. "Why?" I heard myself whisper out.

He put his other hand up on the other side of my head and leaned in closer. "Because I'm attracted to you. I've noticed it for a while now. I've been trying to avoid you, to ignore you, to pretend you don't even exist, but I can't do that anymore." He seemed to take a deep breath in. "Because you do exist, and you are here. You are real, and you look fantastic when you're angry, pretty when you look confused," He stroked the side of my cheek as he saw the look of confusion cross my face. "... funny when you pout.."

"Heh!" I frowned..

He grinned. "... and smoking hot when you smile."

I pulled my fingers through my messy hair until they got stuck, and then I ended up tugging on the slightly shorter ends. I couldn't help but allow a small smile to cross my face when he said that, but it was quickly covered up by a bashful blush. I couldn't help it. I hadn't expected him to say anything like that.

"That's what I'm talking about." Zoro said pointing at my lips. He kissed the side of my cheek and I turned my head so where my cheek had been my lips now were. He grinned and kissed me again. And I turned my head away again pulling at my hair nervously.

_'I don't know what's right and wrong anymore. I shouldn't be allowing him to do this. I shouldn't be allowing myself to do this.'_

I frowned, thinking hard about what I should say. "Zoro, we can't stay like this though. We aren't going to be together for very long." I looked him dead in the eye. "I might have a weak spot for you, but I'm still a Marine."

"You might?" Zoro raised his eyebrow again. "It's less of a might, and more like a definitely from what I can tell."

"Zoro. Be serious." I took a hold of his hand between mine. _'It's so much bigger.'_ I spread my palm out over it and looked back at Zoro. "I can't stay here. I've made my own promises and commitments. I'm not going to give up my future for romance. I decided on that a long time ago."

"That's fine. I was not looking at this as a long term thing." Zoro closed up both of my hands covering them within his own. "We can view this as a one off relationship. No strings attached." He said.

"What... a one off? You mean.?"

"A... fling … or something like that." Zoro spoke brokenly a bit and looked thoughtful.

"I don't really know how... it works. I mean... what are the boundaries." I felt myself blush. 'Y_ou __idiot. You know what a fling is. You__ can't be doing th__is__. You're a Marine! __What if someone finds out? What if the rumours spread?__'_

"The only boundary is time. Apart from that, I think everything else is fair game."

His sight was penetrating as if his one eye could see into my own soul and hear what I was thinking. "I think …"

"You think?..." Zoro hinted, pushing me to continue. I shut my eyes or a couple of seconds. _'Yes, I can do this. Time to wake up to the situation, Tashigi.'_

"I think we are both sensible and grown up adults, and I don't think we should do something that we might regret later on. So... No. I don't think we should have a fling, or a one off relationship. It's not a sensible thing to do, or a logical thing to do. I'm sorry Zoro. You are …"

**'_Amazing_!'**

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow myself to act irresponsibly in this situation."

"And that was what you were thinking?" Zoro said.

"Yes."

"What were you not thinking?" He put his hand under my chin and I shook my head.

"That's what I've decided upon. Zoro." I locked gazes with him and for the briefest moments I thought I could see a small flash of light in Zoro's eye as if there was a spark that had just been ignited.

"Very well then. Tashigi." Zoro stood up and pulled Shigure right out as if it was as easy and pulling up a weed from a flower bed. "I understand. Don't let me keep you." He handed Shigure back to me and walked away to the other side of the room and picked up some weights and started pulling them. He sounded calm, almost relaxed and chilled about the decision as if we had just cancelled a trip to kitchen.

"Good. I'm glad you understand. Thank you." I nodded to him. _'There__'s__ no point in hanging around here.' _I pulled Shigure up a bit, and turned back to the hole in the floor.

_'Why do I feel like nothing's been resolved at all? I'm not even upset about it. And Zoro's not upset about it. That's not normal is it?'_

I looked back at Zoro before leaving, and I saw that he was still watching me. Looking, and noticing my every move. Our gazes crossed and I saw Zoro smirk again. And then I realized. '_Zoro really liked me. He was used to getting what he wanted, and he now wanted me. I wasn't giving him an easy win, and he found that..._' One look in his face was all the prove I needed. _'He found it thrilling. This hot-attracted-romance-thing__ was__n't something that would or could be pushed aside. __It was going to be __a game. __And h__e was now playing to win. I had said no and he had said yes. The game ends when one of us admits defeat, or when the time is up. Of crap, what have I started?'_

I rubbed and rolled my shoulders blades and crouched down by the hatchway and looked back down the steps. Well, it takes two to play a game. _'And I'm not going to change my mind.'_ I called back over my shoulder in a cheerful voice. "Good night Zoro!" and gave a small, casual wave goodbye. '_I'm not going to show any more weaknesses to you.'_

"Good night Tashigi." His voice was low and mysterious. '_Damn __he sounds hot__, this is going to be a hard game to win. E__ven if it goes e__ither way... I feel like I'd __still be the __lose__r__.'_

After I had climbed back down to the deck I let out a heavy sigh. I really needed to get off this boat. I have a sneaky suspicion that Zoro was not going to go easy on me. '_This is war! … of a very different kind. One I'm not used to fighting at all.'_

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**Woah!**

**I almost got them together too early again. Oh my gosh! They're so hard to keep apart!**

**So... they've finally admitted to their real feelings! :D **

…**..**

**And did I have a little bit of a Star Wars Quoting in there going on? Yes I did! And did you mind... I don't think so! And that is because it fitted absolutely perfectly.**

**What do you guys think? Good?**

**Which moment made your jaw drop?**

**Or are you just too cool for that sort of show of weakness?**


	13. Sunrise and Morning Call

**Chapter 13.**

**To all,**

**rebecca taylor, Jujub2001, JakeofTheGrasslands, Scarlet Alapaap, Guest, Elisablackcat, **

**Thank you all for your reviews.**

**I'm glad I was able to surprise you all. **

**Are you ready?**

**(Zoro's point of view.)**

**.**

**.**

_Hard Lines: Sunrise and Morning Call_

**.**

**.**

I raised my weights one after the other. Slow moments, up, down, up, down. '_Well, it's not much of a surprise that I'm finding it hard to stop think__ing about her. She was just up here an hour ago. And to me, Tashigi is just a very interesting person. She was funny, odd, smart, sometimes quick witted, but at other times extremely slow on the uptake, and that was sort of what I find so interesting about her. She's really beautiful too. Not that I had ever really thought that it mattered, but __she was. __**Not to mention that ass. **__**I mean **__**WHOA.**__ Maybe that's why women where called women. Because they can make m__e__n say 'Wo' just by just walking past them.__**' **_

I shook my head and stepped into my routine again. _'Her reaction to Brook in the dinning room had been really funny as well. Why hadn't she noticed that he was a skeleton before then?' _I snickered at the memory.

_'And that story telling session really surprised me actually. She had a pretty perfect memory. That would come in handy in her line of business. And just thinking about all the things we said back then gives me a headache... and yet she still remembers...' _

"Crazy! All that from two years ago." I said to myself.

_'So, that means she has been thinking about me and that occasion for that long as well. I wonder if she's ever been so obsessed as to have dreamed about me.' _I grinned at that thought. '_Since she has the perfect memory I wonder if she's comparing me as I am now to what I was like then. _

I held my arms out in front of me. _'I'm d__e__fin__i__tely stronger than I was then. I've got a lot more scars, but I don't think I look that much different.' _I flexed my muscles, '_She doesn't know what she's missing.' _

I looked down my body and noticed my fourth sword was very much up and ready for action. _'Damn, this is what happens when I think of women too much_.' I sat down on the bench on the east side '_East is the side where the sun rises... yeah... I think._' I spread my legs and let him stand proud for a few minutes. _'First time I've really been interested in having sex with someone and they go and turn me down.'_

He quivered a bit, and I started to feel uncomfortable. "Yeah, I know that's what you want... but she said 'NO!' remember. When she was talking about owning my sword she didn't mean you." I rubbed him gently until he went down. _'This often happens at this time of the day anyway. But now it has a reason to.'_

_'It is obvious she likes me but she didn't jump at the opportunity because she thinks it shows weakness probably.' _I shook my head._ 'I don't get women. They're so confusing. Berating you one moment, crying on you the next. Laughing one moment, and then being absolutely quiet. Talking one moment, and then hitting you the next. … Kissing you one moment and then running away the next.' _

_'No. I don't think I'll ever get women. But at least what Tashigi said made sense. A sexual relationship at the moment might not be the smartest decision we could make, **but it would be the most enjoyable**. She did seem to really enjoy both our 'moments' together. So, why did she say no? If she wanted it she could easily have said yes, and then told me not to tell anyone that would be the most straight-forward approach.' _I sighed in frustration. _'Well I wasn't going to give up.'_

I turned a bit and gazed out the window and watched the amazing change of colour on the horizon. It really was beautiful. The dark blue sky was turning a lighter colour and the early light started dancing on the waves.

_'This is why I like being on lookout during the night. Peace and quiet, and being able to see the new day come up. If I'm still awake.'_

_._

_._

"What's that?" I suddenly woke up as I heard a sound coming from below. I looked down and saw Usopp with a spy glass in his hand. _'Wonder what he spotted this time.'_

"Wha … ng?" Sanji walked over to him. I could barely make out what they were saying.

"No I ... look." Usopp said. My eye followed the direction of his pointed hand.

Off in the distance in the direction of the bright sunrise I saw a few black silhouettes. "Hey!" a small black outline was jumping up and down.

_'That's Luffy alright.'_ I turned to the speaker on my right and yawned before turning it on.

"**Hello... And morning strawhat pirates ... and guest."** I let out another yawn. **"Yep. It's morning already. Luffy, Chopper, ****Traf guy****, and the gassy man scientist have all been spotted east."**

I let out another very loud yawn and kept looking out at them. '_What was that? Rabbits?'_ **"Looks like Luffy made some more friends. And there seems to be rabbits and a … ****turtle seal...**** with them."** I sighed and rubbed my head. **"Dartbrow, you had better start getting another breakfast ready." **

I looked down below and watched as Sanji raised his fists to the sky and started yelling something at me. '_Whatever, it wasn't like what he said made any difference. I feel too sleepy to go anywhere.'_

I lay down on the wooden bench and closed my eyes. _'This is what I like peace and quiet.'_

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.

After I had been kicked off my sleeping post by Sanji for the third time did I decided to get up. _'Damn that dart brow! I'm going to make him pay.'_ I climbed down the ladder onto the deck again and watched as Luffy knocks fists with the … '_oh, one of those things, we saw those in Alabasta right? Hummm... they were called … __Dugong__s? Anyway, Luffy knocked fists with it and they said__ goodbye.__'_

"Take care, Seal!" Luffy yelled out after him.

I let out another yawn and looked about for Tashigi. _'__Where is she?'_ Then I saw her, sitting on the white painted swirl on the side of the boat with her legs dangling dangerously over the edge. _'Hope she doesn't fall in.'_

"See ya!" "Take care!" "Don't catch a cold!" "See you again!" Came the loud cries from the others. _'What were they getting so excited about?'_

I jumped up to where she was sitting and looked over the edge. There the animals seemed to be waving back. "So, what was all this about?" I asked.

Tashigi jumped a bit, upon realizing I was standing right beside her, but thankfully she didn't fall in. "Well, it seems that creature was a friend of yours' from Alabasta, and he had been captured by the man that the others went to get Caesar Clown back from."

_'Ah, yeah, that was his name. Why did I keep on forgetting? It's such a memorable name.'_

I looked back at her. "You've changed out of your clothes already."

She looked back at me shaking her head. "Well, of course. Those were my night clothes and I wanted to get back into my own."

I looked her over again. She had on her blue trousers, small light pink boots, and surprisingly not another of Luffy's tops but one of the girls'._ 'Was it Nami's or Robin's? Probably Nami's.' _Her top was a loose-fitted, simple, white shirt. She looked really comfortable and relaxed just sitting there like that.

I sat down beside her. "So, did you get much sleep?"

"No, but I was able to take a good hot shower, watch the sunrise from the library, and help Sanji with the cleaning and cooking this morning."

_'Helped Sanji.'_ "Huh? Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted to be helpful, and he was doing it all by himself."

"He's the cook that's his job."

"Yeah, and I don't have a job at the moment, so I decided to help him out." she leaned back on her balanced hands closing her eyes as she felt the sun shining on her face. I felt really calm and peaceful just watching her relaxing. _'She really does look beautiful __like that__.'_

_'What the freaking hell is wrong with me?'_ I dropped back down to the deck behind me. I saw a bird fly overhead and a paper was dropped down.

"The morning paper!" Brook exclaimed. All the others gathered around him closely, and Luffy grabbed the paper and dropped it to the deck spreading it out so everyone could see.

"Don Quixote Doflamingo..." Sanji starts reading.

"... Withdraws from the Seven Warlords" Chopper added.

"And abdicates the throne of Dressrosa?! What the hell?!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Throne? Means he was a king right?" Brook asked.

_'__Brook __why do you feel you need to ask a question like that__?__'_ I shook my head stepping back a bit. _'I doubt I'll miss any information as everyone seems to want to read it out loud__.__'_

"A king?" Luffy looked over Brook's shoulder and giggled. "No way! Then it must be a birds' kingdom!"

"When things go this well, it's kind of scary." Franky commented.

"It's good. He had no choice." Law added.

"Uhh..." Luffy pointed to the paper. "By the way, why are our faces here as well?"

"Huh?" Everyone leaned in.

"The Warlord – Trafalgar Law forms an unusual alliance with the Straw Hats?" Nami read.

"What?" Tashigi's voice rang. "They know that already?" I turned back around and saw Tashigi jump off the white swirl on the side of the ship and walk towards the group.

"It is still unknown what the Government will do to Law..." Brook adds, reading off the page.

"What the hell?!" Franky adds.

"There's something else!" Nami said.

"Woah?" Tashigi read the next comment out loud. "Captain Kid, Scratchmen Apoo, Basil Hawkins! The Kid Pirates, the On Air Pirates, and the Hawkins Pirates have formed a pirate alliance, too. Oh, no. That's terrible news!"

Nami raised her eyebrows. "I can't believe other pirates were forming alliances as well!"

"They did, huh?" Luffy grinned, "I wonder if they're thinking the same thing as us."

"Forget about them." Law stands up. "We're gonna go on with the plan." Law looked back around at Caesar. He called back to the others. "Focus on Doflamingo for now." He walked towards Caesar and grabbed him by his hair and pulled him back to the others. "Now you know how important yesterday's negotiation was for him. All we did was kidnap Caesar. In contrast seemingly overnight, he gave up his throne which he's had for ten years and the 'carte blanche' given to him as a privilege of being a Warlord. He did it just to get this guy back and that says a lot!"

I frowned. _'He sure is right about that.'_

"Cool!" Luffy clapped in excitement. "What are we going to do next?"

"We contact him." Law pulled out his den den mushi and put it on a table. He pulled out his contact information network and set the transponder snail to ring.

"_**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli" **_

_'This is it.'_

"**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli" **

_'Anytime...'_

"**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli" **

"Zoro?" I glanced sideways and saw Tashigi standing right beside me, staring at Law and his transponder snail, looking confused. "What's going on?"

_'Of course she didn't know yet, because everyone had been keeping her out of the know... I don't think it would matter if I told her. Well, it would, but since she's here she might as well know...' _I scratched the back of my head and leaned back against the port side border.

"Law made a deal with D...um... the Mingo Man." I answered. _'I don't think that was his name, but I don't think it really matters that much anyway.'_

"**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli"**

"Doflamingo? You mean." Tashigi frowned. She looked worried.

"Yeah." My gaze fell forward focusing on the snail as well.

"What sort of deal?" She whispered.

I looked back at her. _'She is not going to like this.'_

"**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli"**

I kept my voice low. "Well, Law said if he first abdicated from the throne of … um … "

"DressRosa." Tashigi finished quietly.

"...yeah, and if he resigned from the Warlords, Law said he would give Caesar back to Doflamingo." I finished. "You saw what the newspapers had to say about that right?"

She nodded in understanding, but her worried and distressed face didn't change as she walked away from me and sat down.

"**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli" **

_'Now the question is; Is he really going to negotiate with us, and follow Law's plan or will he try and steal Caesar before hand. Most probably the latter.' _

_'Everything was happening so fast.'_

**Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Belli Gotcha!**

"**..."** There was a really long pause before the person on the other end of the line answered.

"**It's me. I resigned from the Warlords." **

"He picked up!" "He picked up!" "Finally."

"Doflamingo?!" Luffy ran to the hand held receiver, pulling it out of Law's hand he started yelling into it.

"Shhhhhhhshshshsh!" Usopp put his finger over his mouth. "He will hear you!"

"Hello?! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to become the King of the Pirates!"

I sighed._ 'I should know the routine by now, but I thought that after a few years of being by himself that Luffy would learn when not to say some things. Well... it's not too bad. He is always good fun to listen too.' _

Usopp smacked Luffy's head. "I told you to shut up!"

"Hey Mingo! Are you stupid, old Caesar's boss?! He gave Brownbeard and the children hell! We will give you back Caesar as we promised but if you do that again, I will beat the hell out of you!" Luffy threatened, at the same time as trying to keep Usopp from grabbing the transponder snail from him.

"**Straw Hat Luffy. You went away for two years after your brother died. Where were you and what were you doing?"**

Luffy quietened down just a little at that and answered. "I shouldn't tell anyone about it!"

"**Humhuhuhuhuhuh!"** Doflamingo laughed quietly to himself. **"I wanted to see you."**

"What." Luffy and Usopp stopped trying to fight over the transponder.

"**I have something that you'll want very badly now."**

"Something … that I'll want...very badly?" Luffy asked quietly.

_'What __the hell is he talking about? And why does he sound like a freakin' pervert?_ _What did he know about what Luffy wanted.'_ I listened carefully.

Luffy started drooling. "How delicious is that meat you're talking about?!"

"Straw Hat-ya! Don't get drawn into his pace!" Law yelled and grabbed the Den den Mushi away from Luffy while Usopp gave Luffy a slapping.

_'Idiot. Didn't I tell him we needed to take things more seriously in the New World.'_

"Joker! Cut the crap! We'll hand Caesar over to you as we promised." Law carried on the conversation.

"**Well, that's for your own good. If you try to run away with him, you know what will happen to you guys. Now, can I hear my precious business partner's voice?"**

The Gas man inched forward on his knees. "JOKER! I'M SORRY! You resigned from the Warlord's for me!"

Law pulled away the mic before he could speak anymore. "Did you hear him?"

"**Yeah, he sounded fine."**

"Eight hours form now, at the beach on the southeast side of Green Bit, the solitary island north of Dressrosa. We will leave Caesar there at three in the afternoon. Go ahead and pick him up. And this will all be finished."

"**That's too bad. I wish I could have a drink with you..."**

"Just hang up!" Luffy yelled and slammed the receiver down.

_'So, that's what's going to be happening from this point on...'_ Out of the corner of my eye I could see Tashigi giving both Law and Caesar the most evil glares I had ever seen her give anyone else but me. She watched Luffy and Usopp for a few seconds and then as if in disgust at their behaviour she shook her head and walked away.

_'Well this is different?_ _I wonder what's she's thinking?'_

Curious, I went after her.

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**Dun! Dun! Dah!**

**Back to the plot surrounding the cannon. What will change and what will remain the same?**

**End of Chapter 13. **


	14. Reason to Hate

**To my amazing readers and Reviewers! :D**

**Guest: **

I'm glad you're ready for this chapter... I'm not. YIKES!

**Waterwomen1414:**

You too! Wow, that's great! Thanks.

**Jujub2001:**

Yes, I'm sorry, no real Zoro x Tashigi yet. It is sad isn't it? Huh? But they've kissed already what do you mean no real ZOTASH? OH... you mean that...*... Well be patient okay. All great things comes to those who wait.

I can only imagine what I'll actually do with my stories once I have all this spare Uni time taken away from me. I love writing this, but as you say very few people update their stories during this period. I hope I can continue doing so.

**TASHIGI22:**

Thanks for reading through so many of my stories. I'm glad you liked them. :D Yep, I thought people would like that extra peace of information about Usopp having to wash Luffy's clothes, but he only does it when he thinks that Nami or Sanji will flip out on them if they do.

**Scarlet Alapaap:**

A small warning... This story probably won't end for a long time... So get comfortable and enjoy the read.  
I'm glad you think 12 is your favourite chapter. It does seem to be getting better bit by bit.  
I know what you mean by the falling on each other and landing in a kiss scene! I hate it when they have it in Manga, Anime, Fanfiction... It greatly annoys me. I haven't been knocked unconscious when someone has landed on me, but it is mighty uncomfortable. I tend to ask if they're all right first and if they are alright I tend to either Joke about it and call them clumsy, or Give them my best Zoro glare.

Tashigi, despite what some people think, is a very resolved person and she has a strong belief in right and wrong, and she doesn't want to sacrifice her pride and accomplishments for a man (although hot) who doesn't abide by the rules that she holds high above herself.

This is a war! And Zoro and her are going to battle it out. She is going to hold onto what she believes in and so is he. I can't tell what will happen that will ruin the story.

**:D**

**Chapter 14: **

**70 REVIEWS! Wow! That awesome guys! This story now has the absolute most reviews out of all my other stories.**

**Nope. 71 now, just as I was about to upload a new chapter. Thanks Scarlet. **

**:D**

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Hard Lines: Reasons to hate

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Out of the corner of my eye I could see Tashigi shaking her head and move away. My curiosity got the better of me and after a minute of waiting and listening I went after her. I found her pacing on the bow of the ship looking out to sea. "What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"WHAT'S WRONG?!" She was visibly shaking and obviously mad. "Let's free the mad scientist! You know, the one who kills his own men to inflate his ego, and just give him back to his psycho boss! Are you all mad!?"

_'And this is why I shouldn't have told her. __No, scratch that, I should have taken her away from us all and locked her up like a real prisoner somewhere else.__'_

"You've got to see the bigger picture."

"I do see the bigger picture! If you let that man live he will continue to kill thousands more innocent men and children." She carried on pacing back and forth.

I shook my head. "You really don't know how the world works do you? You're in your own little marine bubble where everything must be perfect, exactly the way you want it. But you know, the world doesn't want to live in your perfection. It wants to make it's own mistakes, it wants to be independent." I stated.

She glared at me. "This has nothing to do with that!"

"It does." I argued.

Her voice was hard and bitter. "The World Government and the Marines have never had a problem with countries being independent, but it's what they do with their independence that concerns us. If they think they can run off into their neighbouring countries and kill, rape, and steal, then NO. We will not stand by and simply nod in acceptance and say, 'Well if that's what makes you happy then of course we can allow you to do that.' NO! That's crap! They need to be brought down and be treated in the same way they have been treating others!"

_'__W__hat sort of hellish country was she imagining?'_ I covered my face with my hand. "A simple independence doesn't lead into just raiding a neighbouring county. That's an extreme not an affirmed truth."

"Really?" She folded her arms and scoffed. "Can you name one independent country or island that hasn't stolen it's wealth from other places first?"

_'Crap._ _I don't keep track of stuff like this? What can I say?...'_ "Um... Waterseven."

"Is funded by the World Government."

"...HA! Alabasta!"

"Is now funded by the World Government to support them in rebuilding their city from those many years of drought."

_'Damn... now that I think about it, the only places and islands that often seem to worth visiting and have been populated where run by the WG.'_ I scratched the back of my head. "There are many more, I just can't remember the names."

"Right..." She said sarcastically.

"And where did your innocent people get those goods from in the first place?" I asked angrily. "You instantly assume that you will know who's in the right, and whose in the wrong!"

"NO, but it's often not to hard to tell who's being taken advantage of." Her voice raising up another notch. "Besides, what would you know about trade and politics?!"

"So, because you're a marine, you think what you're saying is more important than what I have to say?!" Zoro asked.

"In the long run. Yes." I scowled but her back was turned and she didn't see me. "When you, pirates, run into a certain place you stay for as long as you want, take what you want and then leave as quickly as possible! Marines have a responsibility to the citizens and will often have to act as the bad news bringers."

"You don't even...!" I started.

"No." Her dark brown gaze looked lost and hurt. "You don't know how many people, whether they be citizens, outcasts, bandits, nobles, and marines, that I've had to tell in a letter or face to face that their son, or daughter, husband, or father and friend have died because some idiot decided he wanted to go on a killing spree, or that wherever he was going or whatever he was doing is far more important than anyone else's lives."

"No, you're right. I don't know." I stopped her pacing and put my hands on her shoulders. "But what makes a marine's life any more important than a pirate's? They are both living, breathing people!"

"One is sharing and protecting, the other is stealing and destroying!"

Another scowl crossed my face at that. "You don't think that Marines steal or destroy anything? You don't think that pirates can protect and share?" I grabbed a hold of her shirt. "What are you wearing isn't this being shared?"

"You think because you're a pirate you understand all pirates and their behaviours don't you?!" She tried to hit my hand away. "Remember you used to hunt them down for a living! You can't judge our decisions to capture pirates off your own experiences! You strawhats are one group out of thousands! You can't compare the pirate psychopaths of the New World to the people on your crew and say they deserve the same treatment, because you don't." I loosened my hold on her as she looked me dead in the eyes. "And you can't tell me that what I'm doing is worthless! Because I have saved thousands of lives in the past three years."

"I never said that you hadn't. Are you finished?" I growled.

"No, Are you even aware that while your childlike Captain was looking for his brother two years ago he set 240 prisoners, murderers, and pirates free from Impel Down?! They were all sent there for a reason, and most of those reason's can be justified.""

"You mean, people like Robin, and Ace who have been labelled and condemned with crimes they didn't commit." I emphasized every word. "Good. For. Him."

"No!" She stiffened up and became like a statue. "No." She spoke quietly this time. "I mean people like Crocodile, Emporio Ivankov an ex Officer of the Revolutionary Army, Inazuma, and the majority of Blackbeard's Crew those sort of prisoners those that will force you to obey them or die."

_'Their crew sounds like the world government. Wait a minute... Crocodile?'_

"Crocodile and Blackbeard?" I asked. "He wouldn't have set Crocodile free."

She frowned. "Well, he did."

I sighed. _'I hadn't even thought about how he might have escaped Impel Down, but __to __free Crocodile...'_ "Wait a moment? Wasn't Blackbeard a warlord at the time? Why was his crew in Impel Down?"

"I don't know everything, but I do know that Blackbeard went in after them."

I frowned. "He was the one that handed Ace over to the Marines wasn't he?"

She nodded and sighed leaning against the wooden wall behind her. "You don't know, but there are some pirates that although the government condemns their actions... They are appreciated as large groups that actually do rule over islands and cities." she shook her head. "Whitebeard was a man that encouraged his followers to treat each others as brothers, once he conquered and island he would raise his flag and state it as his own he would put up officers to protect the citizens and would not burn their places to the ground or steal, necessarily." She scowled. "He did do that from time to time, but not often. He was more like a second Revolutionary army, except with a far more selfish ambition."

"Everyone's selfish to a degree. It will always depend on which side you're observing the other man from."

She rubbed her forehead as if wiping away the worry lines that had already began to appear. "Whitebeard was a very selfish and proud man. He sacrificed thousands of his men in order to get back one. He was standing right in the middle of the battlefield yelling and commanding his troops. He was a huge target, and in the end he died standing."

"Wow." I raised an eyebrow and knocked her chin. "Are you trying to recruit me into joining the Whitebeard pirate remnants because if so you're doing a far better job than Luffy's brother ever did?"

"What! No! How on earth did you get that idea?" She huffed crossing her arms in frustration. "But what I'm trying to say is that this scientist and his warlord boss are different, they are nothing like Whitebeard." She looked really worried. "Doflamingoe is mad, he is just crazy. I'm seen him strut about and mock people when they have called for the Warlord meetings, and even the other Warlords despise him. Let's just say he makes Crocodile look like a gentleman."

"So?"

"And so," She pointed back the way we had come. "That deal you made. He's lying. There is no way this deal will ever work out, not with him. You would have an easier time putting rock on paper and saying 'float away', or throwing a devil fruit user into the sea and telling them to swim ashore, or blowing up Luffy with so much of hot air that you can float away to the next island."

"Oh, what a good idea." I raised my eyebrow. "I can't believe Luffy hasn't done that yet. We should try it out some time."

"Gah!" What I'm trying to say is. It's not going to happen. It would be better off to put Caesar on trial for the accident on Punk Hazard, and for the experimentation on missing children, or sentence him to a lifetime in prison, or you could kill Caesar now, and throw him overboard so that the Warlord can't make any more of his fake Devil Fruits. I can only imagine what sort of horrific plan he has up his sleeve."

She glared up at me again. "What I'm trying to say is whatever it is you're trying it will fail and it's too simple."

I leaned against the wall beside her and turned to look at her. "I don't know why I need to tell you this, but you should know by now that nothing is ever simple for a strawhat pirate."

She looked back out to sea. "Your crew... it's like watching a child running around with a double edge sword, we reach out to take it from you and you run away and poke a bully with it." She looked back at me with a worried expression. "We never know when one good turn might suddenly become a fatal blow."

"Is that really how you see us?"

She shook her head. "No, but compared to the other 'members' of the worst generation your crew has done the most good, outside of what was expected." She shrugged her shoulders. "But that is more realistic and closer to what you look like to a lot of other people. I think in some ways the reporters make you out to be a lot more vicious and mean than you really are. Strawhat is a cheerful man-child that loves showing off to the world. He's just like his grandfather."

I laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that."

Caesar walked around the corner just then and groaned. "I want something to drink. I'm so thirsty. You people are absolutely terrible at looking after me! First I'm kidnapped then beaten, then kidnapped again, then treated as a dog... I deserve a medal for all the crap I've had to put up with."

Tashigi pushed herself up so she standing upright again and looked back at him. "What are you asking? Are you miserable?" She sounded uninterested and slightly annoyed.

"I am miserable. These pirates are so mean." Caesar looked like he was going to fake a faint any second now. "I feel so weak with these cuffs on."

"Do you want me to put an end to your misery." I suddenly felt a wave of killing intent come off Tashigi that I had never felt from her before and she suddenly sprung into action. "Child killer!"

"Move!" I yelled leaping forward and kicking Caesar out of the way. Grabbing Tashigi by her right arm and I swung her around until she collided with the wall.

"AHHHHHH!" Caesar screamed and ran away.

I grabbed a hold of her almost drawn sword and sheathed it.

"Let. Go." She demanded between sharp breaths.

I could feel her shaking badly. _'__She's__ gone into mad mode again. __Last__ time __I saw her do that was __in LogueTown when I refused to kill her.' _

"No." I said as calmly as I could and turned her around to face me.

"I said let...!"

"No." I put my hand over her mouth and I pointed at her carefully. "Now you will listen and listen carefully." Her eyes were brimming with hate and anger, not directed at me, but at whatever she was thinking about. '_Her memories, her __or__deals... I don't know._'

"Calm down. This isn't your fight. You got that?"

I felt her muscles tighten again and she tried to kick me so I came right up close and used my body weight against her. _'__I d__o__ not want to fight __you__ this way. __Calm yourself.__'_

"Calm down." I said again.

Instead of trying that, she opened her mouth and tried to bite my fingers. I hooked my thumb under her chin and forced it up. "If you keep expecting me to become a ruthless, heartless pirate I might start acting like one." I leaned in and whispered into her ear. "And I think you know what I might want to do?"

She went still for a moment, but I could still see the look of hatred in her eyes. I took my hand off her mouth. "What do you think...?" She started.

I kissed her before she could get another word out. After a few seconds she pushed me up. "Zoro you Bas..." and I pulled her hands away from me, holding them out either side of us, and kissed her again biting her bottom lip.

"I'm a what?" I asked when we broke the kiss.

"A bastard." she answered back glaring and sucking her lip which I had just bitten.

I smiled and tilted my head to one side. "I suppose that's true." My left hand let go of her right one and I grabbed a hold of her neatly tied up hair instead pulling it sideways and revealing her neck. _'Her neck is so white.'_

"Zoro, don't."

"Don't what?" I kissed her once there causing her to shudder at the touch. _'She's really sensitive to touch, I wonder how she reacts to something more intense.'_

_ 'From this angle I can see her new scar on her shoulder. I wonder if she's still sensitive there._' I licked her neck next going from her bruised collarbone to under the jaw. She gasped and tried and use her shoulder to shrug me off. I let go of her and smiled. "You like that?"

She was fuming in embarrassment and anger, rubbing her neck as if trying to get the kiss and saliva off, and looked furious at the same time. "No, it was stupid."

"Stupid?"

"Yes this is," she looked even more furious and shook her head. "I said no. Remember."

"Yeah, I do." When I pulled away from her, we were both silent our gazes not moving anywhere else. "If you are ever angry take it out on me. I can deal with it," I looked at her clenched hands. "And I can return it."

"What do you mean?" I couldn't tell if she was blushing because she was angry or if she was embarrassed by the idea.

"If you lose control and misbehave," I pointed to her and then pointed to myself. "Then I'll lose control and misbehave as well." I patted her on the head. "So be on your best behaviour and nothing bad will happen."

"Is that a threat!"

"No, it's a promise." I raised my eyebrows. "I think it's a pretty good deal."

"Fine." Tashigi was the first to look away.

"Anyway about what you said before. Thank you, I needed to hear what you had to say about it. As you said it sounds different coming from someone else's viewpoint."

"Good." I turned away from her. "You need to stay out of trouble that doesn't mean picking fights with someone that at the moment has no connection with you." _'I wonder what Law would think of Tashigi if he found out?'_

"**Babadum...dum...dum..."** I spun around and I saw a wooden plank fall to the place where Tashigi had been standing. _'Speak of the devil. Damn!'_

Caesar's shrill voice could be heard down below ten meters away. "It's her! She's the other prisoner. And she that tried to kill me!"

_'Law had her! That Gas moron told on her?'_

Then I heard Law's voice. "You want to die woman?! Wasn't being cut in two enough to scare you from acting more important that you really are."

I ran around the corner and saw Caesar standing near Law. On the ground infront of them was Tashigi lying down on her back with her sword, Shigure drawn. Law was standing over her with his own sword in his hand. "How about this time I cut you into pieces and throw you over board?" the tip of his blade touched her neck.

"That's what I'd expect given your reputation." Tashigi retaughted. _'she doesn't sound scared at all.'_

I jumped down to the main floor deck and landed on Caesar and flattened him into the grass. I drew my sword and pointed it into the creep's neck. "If you dare do that Law, then your gas-pet man will die. She did not even harm Caesar I made sure of that, but if you're not careful I will."

Law scowled. "You know nothing of the complexities of this deal Swordsman, back down!" When I saw one of his feet was standing on the wrist of her sword hand I felt mad. _'Who the hell did he think he was? This is our ship not his! He has no right to make demands!'_

"Zoro! What are you doing?!" Nami yelled from somewhere. I heard doors opening as people started coming back outside.

I saw Law's blade tilt into an angle that would be perfect for cutting her neck open and I darted forward ready to cut him. When Luffy jumped in between us and sprung up into a balloon shape sending me flying to other side of the deck. I sat up and saw Law was also on the other side of the ship, but whereas I had hit the deck he had been caught in the rope ladders.

_'Damn, had I really been about to start a fight with our ally?'_

"Wow! That was fun." Luffy bent down and pulled Tashigi to her feet. "I know how you feel Tashy I was able to punch him in the face a few days ago, but you weren't able to." He patted her on the back. "But we have an awesome plan okay! So don't think about that bastard." he grinned.

"It's not going to work Doflami..."

"Don't worry!" He patted her back again so hard she almost fell over from the hits. "I'll probably end up kicking Mingo's ass anyway."

"What?" She straightened herself again and looked at him with a frown on her face. "Do you always decide things this way?"

"Yep." Luffy looked bored thinking about the way he decides things and he started picking his nose. "That bastard is gonna get it if he crosses us. Right Law!?"

Law pulled himself free and approached. "Strawhat! She can't be allowed...!"

I took a hold of my weapon and readied it again. "Law, you're not really...!" I started.

"All right!" Luffy interrupted. "This is an exciting morning! Let's go and get something to eat!" He yanked on Tashigi's arm and pulled her up the stairs. "I'm hungry! Sanji! What's to eat!?"

"Sandwiches." he answered.

"Yeah!" Chopper yelled and followed after Luffy's footsteps and enthusiasm. "I want a cotton-candy sandwich!"

"I'll just have a cup of tea." Robin called up to Sanji following after them.

"Im gonna to have cola!" Franky said loudly in his metallic voice almost robotic voice.

"Yohohohohoho!" Brook jumped up the stairs. "A glass of milk for me!"

"Well, you've got to admit it Sanji's Sandwiches are the best in the world." Nami said.

"What's a sandwich?" Momonosuke asked.

And soon they had all gone up leaving only us two on Deck.

Law looked flabbergasted at the thought that he was being ignored, and that food seemed to be more important to Luffy than forming a plan.

I looked back at him. "Law?"

"What?!" He sounded both fed up and tired.

"Keep away from her."

"Why?" his voice was uninterested not giving any of his real emotions away.

_'Had I just imagined the look of fear on her face? And what did he mean by 'cut her in two?' Had he done that before?' The idea of Tashigi being cut in half like I had done to the snow woman was horrible. What had he done to her?'_

"Just stay away." I sheathed my sword.

"As long as you keep her away from Caesar, and I won't have any reason to fight her." He turned his back on me and walked back up the stairs to the kitchen.

Luffy's voice came out loud and clear. "Hey Zoro! Traf-guy! come on!"

"I don't like bread!" Law yelled up after him looking even more embarrassed for having to yell it. _'After almost killing a person on an allies ship that is what he ends up saying?'_

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled. "Traffy doesn't like bread!"

"Weirdo." "So strange." "How funny." "Yohohohoho! Doesn't matter." came the joint noise at the information.

Sanji appeared at the door. "Don't worry. I've started cooking up some rice already for our samurai guests please feel free to have some. Come in."

I pulled Caesar out of the ground and pushed him towards the kitchen. "You said you wanted food didn't you. Walk."

"You are all so mean. So cruel..."

"I don't care shut up, and move to the kitchen." I tuned out his pathetic mumblings.

_'I do not like this at all. I've figured out one thing. I value her life more than this alliance. That's not good. Not good at all.'_

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**I found this one quite a difficult thing to write. I will probably end up changing bits of it in a few weeks time, but for now this is what I decided would be good to update with next.**

**How would you guys think these people would act in this chapter? Do you think certain characters are OOC? **

**I know I did when writing, but I knew I didn't want everything to feel all happy and safe on this ship because it really shouldn't be. **


	15. Better Breakfast

**Chapter 15: **

**Getting ready for Graduation is a very stressful thing, which is probably why I'm spending more time writing and less time planning what I'm going to be after I graduate. **

**I'm not sure whether I should call myself lazy or one who has bizarrely misplaced energy, and an active imagination entrepreneur. **

**Okay... the above paragraph was written a month ago, as was the majority of the contents of this chapter and the next. However, I couldn't finish it properly then for whatever reason and so I've decided to do so now. **

**My main reason for not writing anything in the last three weeks is because I've had one of those insane marathon season watches. I've watched all of the Game of Thrones, and 320 episodes of the anime Case Closed / Detective Conan, while still looking for, finding a job, starting it, and finishing with uni. So I've been very busy. :D**

**P.S. The new Terminator movie was awesome and Mission Impossible was okay. :D Go see them while you still can on the big screen! **

**Now back to the story! The Three B's!**

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Hard Lines: Best Breakfast, Bothersome Bastards, and Better Books

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"FOOD! FOOD! FOOOD!" Luffy sat down and picked up a knife and a fork and clanged them together. He noticed me still standing up and looking around, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the chair next to him. "What's your favourite food Tashy!"

_'Not Tashy again?'_ I cleared my throat. "Well I really like eating a good roast... but I also like a mixture of fruits, and creams, freshly picked vegetables, and eating freshly cooked fish... oh, ah, not together at the same time of course, but I guess I like eating healthily. Yeah..., Actually I don't know, I don't really mind now that I think about it. I eat everything." I shrugged my shoulders. "What about you?"

"Me too! I eat everything. My rule is to..." He stood up and raised his fist in challenge to anything that might oppose his beliefs. "YOU MUST EAT WHENEVER YOU'RE HUNGRY!"

A wave of utter exhaustion hit me and I almost fell off the chair I was on. I rubbed the frown lines of disbelief off my forehead. "You'll die early of heart disease if you eat too much."

Luffy laughed. "You're really dumb. You only die if you stop eating. That's what starving means."

I let out another exhausted breath and watched the door as the others came back in.

"Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! I like fish too!" Luffy knocked his knife and fork together again. "Oi Sanji! Is there any fish?!"

"I'm making some tuna, and salmon sandwiches." Sanji answered.

"Yeahhhhh!" Luffy raised his voice and raised his arms. "Bring it on!"

I smiled at his childish enthusiasm. '_It's kind-of cute in it's way, but can I get him to talk about what he has been doing or will do in the future. If I can somehow get information from Luf... I mean Strawhat, __(__**note to self, stop thinking of them all on a first name basis**__)__ … I might be able to bring back some valuable information about their plans for the future so I can help Smoker apprehend them __later on__.__'_

_'This is probably not going to work. I can't make it look like an interrogation, but I need to get out as much information as possible from him.' _

"So Luffy," I cleared my throat, "...what do you plan on doing in the next couple of years here in the new world?"

He grinned back at me and rubbed his hands together. "Lots! First we're going to Mingo's place, and we'll make him stop whatever he doing because he's crap. And then I'm going to take care of Big Mama because I ate all her sweets and she said she's gonna kill me. And then we're gonna explore all the islands here so Nami can draw them, and then find more old ruins and those ponigriff thingys for Robin because she's looking for them." He scratched his head for a bit as if to think.

My mouth dropped open. _'Is he even aware of what he's saying? __This is really sensitive information.__'_

"And then we'll get the One Piece sometime, and travel all the way back round the world to see Laboon the whale, and we still need to find that hawkeye guy that Zoro wants to beat." He nodded towards the door just as Zoro came in, it was then that I noticed that everyone else had sat down as well, and where all listening to Luffy.

Luffy rubbed the rim of his hat between his fingers with his knife still in his hand. "Hummm, yep! That's the plan I think." He grinned back at me. "Sounds Great fun hey?"

"Yep." I swallowed. _'Wow, what a plan. It's just as I thought. He's insane, __mad, just like his grandfather__.'_

"So, what happened on the pirate's ship? Who was that guy, the one that took Caesar away?" I asked as Sanji put a plate of food down in front of us.

"You should have been there!" Luffy said to me, dropping his knife and fork he started to use his hands, stuffing the new food into his mouth, while still trying to express what the man could have looked like and what he was wearing, and what the ship was like. "The guy was rea..y cr..by and he ha.b. a fat face with a... eyeglass ..ing." I picked up a glass from the table and put the bottom of it into his eye. He stretched his eye out first and held the glass up there with his eye muscles … ? …He swallowed. "His eye was huge just like this!" He took the glass out of his eye again, "And he looked like he had eaten another whole person." Luffy then breathed in and his chest expanded until he knocked his chair over backwards.

"Luffy stop fooling around." Nami said entering the conversation. "You'll knock the table over, and then you'll be eating your breakfast off the floor."

"Are you talking about the creepy guy that kidnaps people and animals and forces them to be pets." Chopper asked, who sitting opposite us.

"He could control you with this green goo stuff that he fired at you." Luffy's fist pumped into mid-air and it stretched out emphasizing the speed at which this apparent green goo stuff travelled.

"Wow." I nodded, and then my stomach rumbled.

"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed. "You're hungry too! Here eat!" He grabbed a plate and dumped a few sandwiches onto it not asking whether or not I might want that much or not.

_'I still don't understand this pirate crew. Are they all kind, happy, and insane? What's their angle in all this? Is there one?'_

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The interactions were relatively normal, (**which is crazy)** and mundane, (**which is exhausting**) until Kinemon and Law started conversing. And then my interest was gathered again.

Kinemon answered. "I can't tell you why we were being chased, but we set sail for the place called Zou originally."

"Zou?" Law looked up from his meal of rice and a red gungy liquid was coming out of it. It did look somewhat tasty... _'Look__s__ like __a fres__hly made jam in the middle of it.'_

"Do you know of it?" Kinemon asked looking with interest at Law.

"It's another coincidence." Law mumbled. "After handing over Caesar and destroying the SMILE factory, I was gonna head for Zou."

"Really!" Kinemon leaned forward appearing both insanely interested or creepily curious.

"Yes, my crew is already there." Law's eyebrows bent into a frown as he thought about the colleagues he hadn't seen in so long.

"If so can we go along with you there?" Kinemon asked.

'Yes, you can! Let's go there and then the Wano Kingdom!" Luffy yelled.

"Hey?" Law looked down at Kinemon as he began his head bowing routine.

Kinemon yelled out his gratitude. "Thank you!"

"Well, fine." Law said quickly, looking embarrassed by the sudden show of overwhelming gratitude.

"Luffy, thankyou for everything!" Kinemon turned towards Luffy and did the same thing.

"Everything!" the kid, Momonosuke copied.

"Don't mention it!" Luffy laughed at the strangeness of the custom but obviously enjoyed it immensely as the grin spread across his face almost from ear to ear.

"Right, Tra-guy?!"

"Right." Law nodded, and then asked the Kinemon again what they had been doing.

"Three samurais including me, and Momonosuke four of us headed for Zou, but our ship was wrecked, two of us and Momonosuke difted to Dressrosa." Kinemon started

"But we had been chased by Doflamingo and the others there and I ran into an unknown ship." the kid added. "It was there that I met the children who were looking to get treated. And unfortunately, the ship left the port and before I knew it we were headed for that island."

"I was gonna go after the ship, and my fellow samurai Kanjuro tried to cover me, but got caught! He let me sail out to the sea and now I have to save him! That's why I have to go back!"

"Alright! I'm gonna go save him with you!" Luffy yelled over Chopper's and Franky's emotional tears.

"Guys! Don't forget our purpose!" Law growled out at the rest of them. But he was ignored as the tears of joy or promises to trouble brought on the thick chorus of agreements or disagreements from the others.

In that small brief moment our eyes crossed and the same look of disbelief and bewilderment was on both our faces. He scowled very soon after as if he was under some sort of obligation never to laugh and turn back his attention to his food.

_'I guess there are a lot of things I have no idea about from my perspective as a marine officer, but that doesn't mean I should be looked upon in hatred by someone who doesn't even know me. Law is probably judging me by any other marine female marine officer he met. Stupid pirate. Wait a minute. Doesn't that sort of logic work both ways. Right now, I'm trying to judge them all with the past knowledge I have of pirates. Crap, am I just getting soft, or is this how I should be thinking, and if not, why is it that I'm feeling so comfortable around these strange weirdos.' _

_'Hang on a minute. Didn't I have four sandwiches left on my plate. Why is there only two?'_

"Hey!" I looked down at my plate as a hand zapped back stealing the second to last sandwich and swallowing it. "That's my food Luffy, don't eat that." I sheltered the last one with my arm from his sight.

"You left it too long." Luffy shook his head. "You shouldn't let food be sitting for too long. Haven't you ever heard of the 10 second rule!?"

"What!" I yelled in indignation. "If it's on someone's plate that means it's theirs! Anyway the 10 second rule only applies if you have dropped the food on the floor! Are you an idiot!?"

"Well, I'm the Captain! I can do what I want!" He grinned and with lightening reflexes grabbed the last piece from my plate and ate it as fast as humanly possible.

"Fine then." I pouted. "With logic like that then you should be fine with a marine confiscating what you've stolen." I reached for the food on his plate and pulled it off.

"Hey! That's mine!" He grabbed at my hand as it pulled away a few of the sandwiches that Luffy had somehow managed to leave on his plate.

"Well, I'm also a Captain. So on this ship it appears Captains can do what they want." I switched the sandwich from one hand to the other and took two quick bits from it. It was amazing. I closed my eyes. "You're right Strawhat. It's so good."

"OI! GIVE THAT BACK!" Luffy jumped me which I had not been expecting, and knocked me to the ground.

"NO WAY!" I yelled back at him. '_Oh, my gosh,__** shut up Tashigi. Since when have you ever been this childish**__. And why the hell does he want it back? I've swallowed it already.'_

"Luffy leave her be." Nami spoke up.

Luffy scowled and crouched over me. "You're going to have to cough it up. No stealing aloud unless you're a professional like Nami."

"What!" Both I and Nami said at the same time. I stuttered. "I … I … am not going to puke. What are you going to do with the food afterwards anyway?"

Usopp shoved a sandwich into his mouth and then stepped away from the table. Whereas Chopper spoke up. "Luffy don't hurt her she's still badly injured. You could you let her off for now. She doesn't know the table rules."

Luffy pouted but then stood back up. "Okay, but don't do that again!" he pointed his finger at me. "I've got my eye on you."

_'What the hell is going on_.' I stood back up and dusted down my clothes. One minute he seems to take abuse well, and never retaliates and the next he's threatening major or in this case very minor offences.

"Excuse you miss?" Brook asked me as I turned back round to find my seat.

"What?" I said turning around.

"You seem a little flushed, and red in the face, perhaps you should dress down, it is so warm in here."

I wiped away my embarrassment and pretended that there was nothing wrong. "It's fine."

"By the way, can I see your panties?"

I stopped in shock and started shaking in fury. _'He did not just ask me that? Just how indecent is he?'_

"It's so hot in here that a man might get a boner. Hahahahaha! Although I am one. Being completely made of bones and all Hahahahaha!"

I picked up the tray of almost finished food and hit the skeleton's face with it. "GO. TO. HELL! BONEY SKELETON!" Luffy grabbed my hand and pulled it back.

"DON'T HIT MY CREW, AND DON'T WASTE MY FOOD! MARINE!" His voice was so loud it was making my ear drums numb.

Zoro dropped his mug onto the table. "That's enough. Luffy, Brook had it coming. She wouldn't have gotten so angry with him, if you weren't such a glutton in the first place."

"What!" Luffy yelled. "No one should ever waste food. Ever. She's guilty!" He lifted his hands up into the air. "Take the Marine to the brig!"

Nami scowled. "Shut up Luffy!"

"We don't have a brig Luffy." Zoro stood up. "This is stupid, you don't need to take things so far. It's just food."

"Shut up Marimo!" Sanji's voice came from the kitchen. "Food is precious, but Luffy you need to apologise for hitting Tashigi chan."

"Okay, tie her to the mast!" Luffy ordered instead. "And Zoro. Stop defending her. I'm the Captain!"

Usopp raised a hand. "Um Luffy? Are you sure you want to do that?"

"What's going on?" Chopper asked franticly not quite following the conversation.

"YOW! Go easy Luffy." Franky snickered and then added. "He's just defending his girlfriend."

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Zoro punched Franky's nose and his new arraignment of hair came out with the force of the blow knocking him back into Robin by accident. Robin's cup of tea spilt over him leaving a trail of grey-brown in amongst the blue.

"Oh dear." Robin stood up. "I guess I'll make myself another cup of tea then."

"So..." Franky grinned back at his challenger. "You are finally picking a fight with a real man."

"Don't make me laugh." Zoro scoffed. Franky raised up his fist and aimed at Zoro.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Caesar moved away from behind Zoro where he had been forced to sit. Away from the two. "Don't kill me!"

"A real man knows when to use a situation to his advantage." Kinemon stood up and stepped away from the table. He walked up to Nami. "Excuse me Ninja witch, but I must remove you from the fight." He picked her up in his arms.

"Put me down right now!" Nami yelled and Sanji came running to her rescue.

"Don't touch my Nami!" Sanji scooped up Nami into his arms and kicked back Kinemon. "I don't want to see you or your pervert son touching my Nami again!"

"Let me down right now Sanji!" Nami glared at him, but not before he could, the tie at the back of her bikini broke lose and for the smallest of seconds as she hit him to try and let her go he saw the smallest bit of skin behind his favourite pieces of clothing on Nami and Sanji dropped to the ground as the blood rushed to his head.

"Food fight!" Usopp yelled and then ducked behind a chair and Chopper jumped up worried for a second what was going to happen.

"DON'T WASTE MY FOOD!" Sanji yelled. But it was no use Nami had just thrown her soup at Kinemon and Zoro had just kicked Franky into the table.

"YEAH!" Luffy yelled. "I'M GONNA WIN!"

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_It took a long while to clean up the mess, but that was fine. I had sort-of been the one to start it. _

_The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, most of the time. The only two really fretting about the dangers that would be found in the terrible Dressrosa tomorrow were Chopper and Usopp. Everyone else seemed quite chilled at the idea of going to a Warlord's island. Then again, what did I expect. This was the crew that marched it's way into Alabasta because a princess asked them too kill the Warlord there. … Hum well I actually don't know the details … I should really ask them about that. And why and when on earth did they decide to adopt Robin onto their crew. That's been bugging me for a while now.'_

Seeing that my guard... 'Zoro' had fallen asleep I decided to walk about the ship again. I found myself in the library eventually and there was the very person I had just been thinking about.

"Please excuse me, if I'm interrupting your reading." I bowed my head slightly.

"Not at all." She said and remained seated with her book open and reading.

_'There. I'm doing it again. Good manners are hard to get rid of. Stop being so polite to these pirates.'_

I turned my back on her and started reading the names on the book spines. When Luffy had dragged me about the day before we had spent as little as five seconds in this room and I had been craving to get a good look at what the strawhats found interesting to read. I quickly noticed it had been thoroughly organized into category and then place in alphabetical order much like any normal library would have been.

_'This is so nice. I want one on my ship._' I nodded when I saw a book that was all about cooking. _'That was Sanji's,' _

There were biographies and autobiographies of famous explorers, pirates, and civilans. Books on religion, music, art, history, astrology, biology and ...

"If you want some interesting reading material I would recommend this." Nico's voice almost made me jump as she pulled out a book with her extra hands and threw it in my direction. "It's a heart pumping read."

"The Top 100 Se …..." I started reading the title and dropped the book in shock and it fell to the floor with a thud.

"It's Sanji's favourite book." Nico added.

"I won't be reading any such thing." I blushed picking it back up again and putting it back onto the shelf into the same slot from which it was pulled out from and walked across to the far side of the room to find something else.

"I don't see why not." Nico Robin smiled and carried on reading the book in her hands. "Zoro was reading that a few weeks ago. It's normal to be curious."

I felt myself go very more red. "Well, I'd prefer things like that to come naturally rather than trying to learn about them before hand."

_'Crap. Why did I even say that. She didn't need to hear it. I don't even need a reason not to read it.'_

"Oh. So you like being the innocent one in the matter. Some people see that as old fashioned, and others see that as thrillingly naïve, and a tease." She nodded in understanding and carried on with what she was doing with a knowing annoying smile on her face.

"Robin!?" Nami's voice came up from downstairs. "I need you for a minute, could you come down for a sec?"

"Excuse me." Nico Robin stood up gracefully and walked over to top of the ladder. "I'll be back."

I leaned back into the couch trying to get comfortable having picked up a book with starcharts listed in it. But no matter how hard I tried to focus on it my mind kept wondering back to what that book would actually have in it.

_'The top one hundred sexual positions what a lot of rubbish. As if you could even having sex in so many different ways. There's probably only four. Lying down, sitting up, standing up, and kneeling. That's the only logical way. How many other ways could there be?... No! I'm not thinking about it!' _

I tip-toed to the edge of the ladder and looked down and then looked up as well. '_Good no one's around._' I walked back to the shelf and pulled the book off it. _'All I'm going to do is look at the pictures and laugh at how stupid they are.'_

I glanced through the book and there were silhouetted people in all the pictures, but what they were doing was obvious enough. I paused on one that I couldn't even work out and when I read the inscription I was disgusted.

_'Some people actually do that?'_ I scrunched up my nose. _'Ewww, gross!'_

I put the book back on the shelf. And walked around some more looking for another book far more worth my while.

'…...'

_'I wonder what the others reactions to that book were like. Were they grossed out by it or did they like it?'_

'…...'

_'Has Zoro really read all that?'_

I listened out for any noise around the place and crept back to the gross book and pulled it from the shelf again. I hadn't ever seen something as disgusting and weird as this book before. I turned to the middle of the book and a picture with a woman's legs legs spread out in a v-shape as she was lying on a table. Her silhouette however was blocked as a man stood infront of her his hands obviously having a firm grip on her hips. I swallowed. '_I suppose that could work.'_

I skipped three pages and caught sight of a woman caught inbetween two men. '_No way!_' I quickly turned over ten pages and saw a man lying on his back with the woman on top of him.

_'I've never even thought of doing … it that way, but then again why would I think about it when I don't want to even do it. That would be stupid.'_

I flicked across a few others until I saw a man with a woman lying curled up against his chest. He had his arm around her as if he was protecting her and keeping her warm. I frowned. '_That didn't look like a s.e.x. Position. That looked m__ore__ like a hug to me. __I had no idea that you could have sex in so many different ways.'_

I blushed again when I saw a picture that I actually liked the look of, a couple sitting cross-legged one over and around the other. _'It looks really comfortable that one.__'_ I read the inscription. _'For deep and penetrable sex. Wow, that looks hot.'_

I swallowed a mouthful of nervousness and turned the next few pages. This was horrificly addictive. After a few more minutes of reading I heard footsteps on the ladder again, and I quickly shut the book, put it back on the shelf, and slowly tip-toed back to where I had been sitting, and I picked up the … chart book from where I put it down.

"You look slightly red, Glasses." Robin nodded back to me and to my horror grew a hand out of the wood beside me and touched my forehead. "And from the temperature of your head I'd say you're either embarrassed, or you've just gone for a run, or you've got a fever."

"It's just a warm day." I said feeling myself go even more red. _'Time to change the subject.'_

"So...?"

"So?"

"You joined the strawhats after having tried to kill them on Alabasta. Why? Why did you join up with Luffy I mean Strawhat?"

She nodded to herself. "It feels like a life time ago that I saved his life once in the desert, and then he saved my life after Crocodile tried to kill me." She smiled. "After that, with all the plans of Crocodile's coming to a crash I needed a ride out of Alabasta before the marines found me, so I got on board the Going Merry and waited for them all to show up."

"And Luffy let you join just like that?" I asked, frowning. "You and Crocodile tried to kill them."

"I asked him if I could and he said yes." She smiled again. "However if I remember correctly the trust of the rest of the strawhat pirates was a lot harder to buy."

"So you bought their trust?" I frowned. "They don't seem to be the sort of people that you could buy."

She put her hand on her chin and looked at me. _'__She's taking her time staring... __Why does she have __to stare? She's__ so creepy?'_

Robin raised her eyebrows. "The hardest one to convince was Zoro, even now Zoro is the most guarded when it comes to accepting strangers. So, why is it that he trusts and is so familiar with you?"

I shook my hand in front of my face laughing at the statement as if it was a joke. "No... Zoro's not like that with me at all. You must be mistaken."

_'Is he? I don't know. I don't really even know how he reacts with the rest of the crew. He and I are usually alone when we end up talking to each other. Oh dear... That makes it look really bad doesn't it. Is she jealous? If so there is no reason for it at all. I mean... Zoro's so stupid. He's good looking but so daft... He gets lost too easily and I don't know what to say. So anyway, we are attracted to one another, he's hot, manly, but it's bound to fall through and not work. I'm determined that it won't work, so it won't happen. Yeah, that's right. So, she has nothing to worry about.'_

I scratched my head. _'How am I going to get this one out?'_ I cleared my throat. "So, are you and him a couple then?"

She smiled and sat down gracefully. "A few times, but not since two years ago at Water Seven, and almost again at Fishman island, but we were interrupted."

_'What did she mean interrupted? Was she actually talking about sex? I just asked if they were a couple... not about their interactions.'_

"Well, I actually meant..." I started.

"He and I shared an intimate moment after the strawhats had got me back from the gates of justice." She put her hand on her thigh rubbing it up and down. "He was rather brutal, but also knows when to play it gentle."

"Okay." I blushed again trying to hide my face behind my book. All of a sudden this conversation was going a bit to far to fast.

"He seemed to like taking you shallow at first and then thrust in hard and deep." She nodded to herself as if very content with the information. "Just like when he's fighting his opponents."

I suddenly felt angry. 'Why was she telling me this? I didn't want to know. Was she trying to make me jealous, if so there was no stinking need to.' I rolled my eyes. "What makes you think I'm interested in your relationship with your pirate friend? I have no interest in it."

"Is that because you want to find out for yourself what it's like?"

"No! That isn't what I was saying." I shook my head trying to keep my racing heart calm.

She crossed her arms and extra pairs of arms came out from all over the place. "I am rather good at gathering intel you know."

I watched her arms rolled out and curl and uncurl as if they were plants growing up like weeds from a flower bed.

"I can make an body part of mine repeat itself and latch it onto anything I see. I can even hear conversations that are being taken place forty feet above me." She waved her hand infront of me and from that hand grew an ear.

_'Don't tell me she knows...'_

"And I can see wherever I want to see."

_'I knew it. I'm screwed. She was spying on me.' _

"That must be really handy." I said swallowing and clearing my throat.

She raised an eyebrow. "You have an unusual drive that excites him, and we don't often see Zoro getting excited over women,…." her sharp blue eyes seemed to be baring into mine. "... even if they're swordswomen." she tilted her head a little bit looking back down at her book, her long hair falling across her eyes hiding them from sight, but for some reason I could still feel her eyes on me. "So it's rather intriguing."

I shook my head in bewilderment. _'__I really can't believe this is happening.__'_ "Even if he does like me that way we can't consider that sort of ..." I stopped. '_What am I doing? I wasn't supposed to think out loud just then.' _

"Consider that sort of what?" Nico pushed.

I put my book down and stopped pretending to read and gave her my full attention and frowned at the thoughts running through my head. "Why is it that all of you Strawhats are hinting that there is something going on between us? There isn't. So stop questioning and teasing us. It's ridiculous okay." Nico giggled and started laughing quietly to herself.

I felt my face go bright red. "What's so funny?!"

"You both get so flustered when other people talk about your other half."

"No. It's ilogical. I have no reason, want, or ambition to have a partner yet in life. It would only slow me down, and he has none of the main qualities I'd be looking for in a man."

"None?" she raised an eyebrow.

"None of the main qualities."

"I see." she looked back down at her book. "You think you can find yourself the perfect man."

"I don't think I will ever have one, and I don't think I want one either." I said. A new wave of certainty washed over me as I said those words and any of the pressure and accusations that people had thrown at me in that moment seemed meaningless.

"I think Zoro thinks the same way about women. Maybe it's destiny." Nico spoke softly.

I shook my head rigorously. "No."

"Why not." She pointed across the room. "Don't you know the best kind of romances are the ones that are shrouded in mystery, murder, darkness, and uncertainty. That's the sort of story that people love the most the gentle sweet young damsel and cunning mischievous man. If you were to find the right one is that the sort of man you see yourself with?" Robin asked with a gentle questioning expression.

"No. I prefer the honest type of guy. The one who will tell the truth from the start not the sort that lies about where he's from or who he is."

"You're in luck then Zoro is one of the most truthful and careful men on the crew."

"…..."

"You think that's a lie?" Nico asked

_'I don't know. I can't even tell anymore. I used to have so much faith in my ability to sense liars and betrayers, but not since Vergo betrayed us.'_

'….'

"Don't you know what they call me?"

"Um... well... it's the devil of Ohara right?" I frowned puzzled again at the name. '_Wasn't she just a child when she was given that name? What sort of horrid thing had she done to get such a nasty name at such a young age?'_

Nico moved her hair back away from her face. "Indeed, And I can see the future too."

"What! Really!? Is that a part of your devil fruit power too?"

"Hamhumhumhum." Nico laughed to herself. "No, of course not."

"What." I scowled at her, and picked up my book again. "Don't make a fool out of me."

"I wasn't trying to." Her smile seemed to be genuine when she nodded a sort of apology. "I can't see the future, but I can see what is right in front of me." She nodded to herself as if she had made up her mind. "You are both too young to realize how easy falling in love can be. With the way things are going you will both ensnare the other and neither one of you will feel complete until you're together."

I coughed. "I don't think you're giving enough credit to the honour of a swordsman, and the power behind a woman's no." I retaughted.

"And what will happen once she says yes? Is the swordsman still honourable or does he become a beast."

"That's not going to happen." I shook my head again.

"Hum... I wonder what you would call a love story based around a marine and a pirate?"

"What sort of question is that?"

"... Shadows in the dark... or … Poisonous Sea of Passion … "

My face became emotionless. "What are you talking about? Those sound like horror stories."

"What would you call the story 'Glasses chan'?"

_'There she goes calling me glasses... annoying woman.'_

"If you absolutely need to find a name for a story like that you would want to combine the thoughts of place, or emotions with the one thing that joins the two together. Something like... Broken Swords would be better I think." '_Crap. I've done it again. I didn't need to add anything to this conversation.'_

Nico nodded slowly taking in my words. "So, do you see yourself as broken then?" She asked sadly.

For once I held my tongue and bit back any reply. I had already given away far to much information about myself than I should have.

_'But, she's right. I do see myself that way. I am broken. Often Useless. Hopeless, and alone. But it's definitely better this way. If anyone really did know the real me. They would be disgusted.' _

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A few hours later I had taken the 'normal' book out on deck and was enjoying leaning against a large umbrella sitting cross-legged on the grass. It was an experience I hadn't got to enjoy often as whenever I was on my own ship I had to keep up an appearance that I was busy or that I was helping out. Because there is nothing worse in my mind for a crew than thinking their own captain doesn't care about their needs and does nothing except boss them around. And so it ended up with me having no time at all to spare on what I wanted to do. And here it was the opposite. No one did anything until they really needed to or if they really wanted to, and then again that was what the entire Pirate philosophy was based around. Them serving themselves.

I lifted up my book again and shifted uncomfortably. Luffy was watching me again intently. _'What have I done wrong __now__?..._

He then carried on colouring into a large black book that he seemed to have painted a bad copy of his strawhat pirate logo on. _'This is so creepy! Why is he doing this?'_

'_He's been doing that for ages now. Is__ Luf__f/ I mean strawhat__ an artist. I didn't expect that.'_ I left to find Nami and talk to her for a while, but Luffy followed me around all over the place like he was watching my every move glancing back at me whenever I tried doing anything different. And I finally got fed up with it and actually approached him to see what it was exactly he was doing.

"Heh Luffy." I said.

"Heh!" He looked up and grinned.

"What are you doing?"

"Drawing!" He grinned showing me his work like he was proud of it. I looked down at it, and thought it was very much … like … Luffy.

"You should put your signature on every piece of paper." I said. "In a few more years time when you're even more famous people could probably sell you're drawings for lots of money." _'Even if they're terrible because some weirdo's collect everything.__'_

"So?" I questioned. "Is this your picture Logbook?"

"Well." Luffy said clearing his throat. "Nami's in charge of writing all the boring stuff and I tell her sometimes what to write about me and our awesome adventurous cause that part is cool., and I keep this book a secret." He grinned. "Don't tell anyone. No one else knows."

I raised my eyebrows. '_No one knows? He's got to be joking.'_

Luffy flipped the book shut and opened it from the beginning. "This is my first drawing of a fishman before I had ever seen one, and this is the second. And after I saw them I drew lots of different ones."

I laughed smiling at the drawings. "I remember thinking that might have been what they looked like when I was younger too. They look really funny."

"I know they're pretty awesome." Luffy grinned back at me. "Oh yeah, you should see this." He flipped to the page he had been working on a few seconds ago. And on the page was a small black dog sitting under an umbrella on the grass with a bone in it's mouth.

"Um... that's not me is it?" He showed me the one picture. It was actually a fairly good fast drawing considering his attention span. He had given the black dog fluffy curly fur and floppy ears.

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "It's cool hey! My grandpa used to wear a dog's head as a hat sometimes and I always thought that was weird so I used the think of all marines like wearing dog heads. And because your hair is black I drew you as a black dog."

"I see." _'So, that means Garp is responsible for painting such a bad opinion of the marines in Luffy's mind.'_

"So, you're a secret artist Luffy. I didn't know that. You don't seem to like drawing edges in your work."

Luffy nodded his head. "Drawing's more fun to do when nothing's straight. That's probably why Nami angry all the time." He frowned for a moment. "but I don't know what animal I should draw for myself. Because I like lions... but then I was think it would be cool if I was a massive boar or something."

"Hummm." I nodded in thoughtful agreement. "What animals are the others?"

"Mostly cats." Luffy said. "Nami's a cheeta, Robin's a panther, Usopp's a Liger, Brook's a Jaguar, Chopper's still an awesome reindeer monster, I didn't need to make him into a different animal. Franky's a blue monster metal cat that I made up, and Zoro's a green tiger." He flicked through a few of the pages and showed me his drawings of the crew. "I'm thinking of drawing Law as a Leopard."

I saw a picture of the green and black striped tiger sitting on a tree sound asleep.

"You like that one? There's one of you and Zoro too." He flicked forward again.

And there on the page was a little black dog wearing a shining white collar, barking up at a huge green tiger that was almost camoflage in the tree above it. It was a good picture compared to his earlier drawings this was a masterpiece.

"Your pictures look better in colour." I said.

"Thanks!"

I turned the page and saw the dog barking at the cat's tail flicking up and down. And then the next page the dog was again barking at the cat in a tree. Again the cat was sleeping as if it hadn't a care in the world and all the dog could do was bark, but it couldn't climb the tree.

_'A tame dog following after a wild cat.' _

My eyes where suddenly visuably opened. This was just Luffy's imagination talking, this was how he saw me. He saw me as a dog of the marines that barked at pirates and other dogs and when it got hurt it would go running back to it's owner.

_'Am I really just like a dog? Does my life even have a purpose?'_

"Why do you look sad?" Luffy frowned at me interrupting my negative thoughts.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking."

"What about?" He asked. His eyes were firmly fixed onto mine but he seemed very disinterested though and he started picking his nose.

"Um...well... don't you find yourself wondering what your father might think of you?"

"Who cares. I don't even know what my dad looks like." Luffy shrugged.

I sighed. "But he probably would encourage you to live out your dreams and fight for what you believe in."

"Really!" Luffy grinned. "How do you know that!?"

"Well, he saved you from Smoker in LogueTown." There was a long pause in the conversation.

"You worry about your dad?" Luffy asked.

"No." I shook my head. "I have never even met my real father."

Luffy frowned. "You think he doesn't like you?"

His words came at me like a punch in my gut. "I have no memory of my father. How can I feel the pain of disapproval or miss someone who I have never even met."

"I see." Luffy nodded keeping the unusual serious expression on his face. "Don't worry." he patted my back. "We'll get you back later. Who knows one day your dad might really want to meet you because you're so awesome."

Against my own will tears started streaming down my face at the idea. "Damn it." I said aloud.

_'How did this conversation start anyway? I never talk about him to anyone.'_ I rubbed my useless tears away from my eyes. "Don't talk about this please."

He smiled and tugged me into a bear-like hug and then patted me on the head as if I was some sort of pet that needed comforting. "There, there. It's okay. We're going to have heaps of fun on Dressrosa, and then we'll probably end up blowing up some stuff and I can then punch Mingo's face in for hurting those children and people."

I couldn't help but smile at the absolute simplicity of his statement. _'This really was how he solved his problems.'_

"Oi Luffy! You want to do some fishing!" Usopp called out to him.

"Yeah!" He moved away from me jumped up to where Usopp had called him from.

.

.

For a long while I was just left to myself reading my book in peace and quiet, but the nagging sense of uncertainty kept on creeping up on me.

I looked about for Zoro and there he was lying in the sun not caring about anything else but himself. Like a cat waiting patiently for a mouse or bird to come along to offer him a distraction. And then there was me, acting like a good little dog running around trying to find out information that might be valuable to the marines so when I do come back I'll have something to show them. _'No matter how I look at it, Luffy's mind's eye was spot on. __T__h__is is__ exactly how it appears__ to one with the eyes to see__.' _

I lay back down and closed my eyes._ 'There was a reason I liked rules. Rules made people equal, they made them fare and kind. Without rules chaos runs free.'_

_'As a child all I could think about was how amazing it would be to be free, and wonder about and go places no man had gone before, but now... now … I don't know what I really want. Who wants total freedom?' _I shuddered at the thought._ 'Total Freedom is terrifying.' _

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**Well, that's chapter 15. It took a bit longer to do because... I had graduation and got a job in between as well, so I've been run off my feet. So sorry everyone who has been wondering... Where is the next chapter!? Why hasn't the author updated already!? Well here it is and super long as well! And I'm going to be hopefully uploading 16 shortly. **

**:D**


	16. Foodfight, Fishing, and Friendship

**Chapter 16: **

**Well, time to celebrate by writing a new chapter for August. :D **

**Oh no... August...**

**That means it's almost the end of summer. That's terrible news. GaaaAAA! It's the 10th already.**

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Hard Lines: Food fight, Fishing, and Fools.

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"Food fight!" Usopp yelled.

"Don't waste my food!" I heard Sanji yell as I kicked Franky into the table.

_'Trust Usopp to yell something like that.' _

"**YEAH!" Luffy yelled. "I'M GONNA WIN!"**

Luffy picked up a melon that he saw on the counter top next to him and lobbed it in my direction. I sensed it just in time and moved my head slightly, letting it miss gracefully, and hit Franky perfectly splattering it's fresh juice across his face.

"OI! LUFFY DON'T INTERUPT A MAN'S FIGHT!" Franky yelled back at him, his hair still managing to stay upright.

Luffy grinned. "IN FOOD FIGHTS THERE ARE NO SIDES! And there are no single battles. IT'S FREE FOR ALL!" Luffy jumped up and balanced on the side of the overturned table and picked up what remained of the sandwiches and started chucking every third one in whatever direction he fancied while eating the first two he picked up.

"KETCHUP STAR!" I heard Usopp yell out his old technique and saw a small, black balloon fly into Luffy's face. It dribbled down and Luffy licked it off.

"TUNA ATTACK!" Luffy grabbed the tuna sandwiches and aimed at Usopp hitting him continuously in the face with an endless fish attack.

All of a sudden everyone seemed to be picking stuff off the floor and throwing it at who ever they just so happened to see first. I ran to the kitchen and got out one of the coke bottles that Sanji stored there. I unscrewed the lid and poured some of the floor cleaning fluid into it. _'I think this is what Usopp experimented with that one time...'_ I shook the two together and jumped back over the counter top to join in the food fight again.

"Oi Franky!" I yelled over the noise. He smirked in my direction and lifted up a plate of creamy cakes that Sanji had made before. _'__He thinks he'll be getting a chance to throw those? __It's to late for your victory Franky.'_

"Hey! Catch this!" I threw it in his direction and he caught it.

Franky laughed. "What sort of attack is this!? You thinking of apologizing by giving me a drink! YAHAHAHA!" He unscrewed the lid.

'BOOOOOM!' Franky was thrown backwards by the Coco cola explosion and out the front door narrowly missing Law, who had been just about to make his own escape. Caesar however wasn't so lucky and was caught up in the speed of Franky's ejection from the scene and ending up cushioning his fall on the deck below.

_'Just what I expected. __One down. seven to go.__'_

In that moment of satisfaction someone attacked me from behind and a bucket of cold soapy water was poured over my head. It wasn't clean water, and as I looked over to the corner I noticed the dirty bucket of water that had been used to mop the floor yesterday was missing.

"For goodness sake cool off! And look around you at the mess you've made with that coke bomb!" Tashigi's voice rang in my ears. "Tell the others to stop."

"Is that how you ask nicely?" I twisted round to face her grabbing the bowl of mayonnaise as I did and scooping up a handful I swatted her face with it.

She wiped it off and glared at me. "Oh come on." I shrugged and duck narrowly missing a random attack of flying fish. "Oh, you have some left." I pointed at her cheek and before she could wipe it away herself I grabbed her chin with my right hand and pulled her close. "I wonder what it would taste like right now." I shook my head. "Such a waste of good sauce." I turned her head to the left and licked up from her right jaw bone to her cheek.

She jumped backwards in shock. "What?!" I couldn't help but laugh at the confusion in her expression. She grabbed the nearest plate she could find and smashed it against my head. "Don't do something like that without my permission!"

"I can't make any such promises." I shrugged off the attack and winked at her. _'I know she likes it.'_

"Ketchup Star!" Usopp's attack hit the back of her head pouring down it like blood, and she ducked down behind a chair. The look of vicious determination came onto her face and she reached forward and grabbed a large spoon off the table and dipped it into the now slightly watered down Mayonnaise bowl. With an easy flick of the wrist she catapulted the white-creamy substance out of the bowl and fired it across the room to hit Usopp smack into his laughing mouth. He coughed. "CEAYHHH! Man that's gross."

Chopper was busy running back and forth obviously unsure of what he was supposed to do.

Brook had decided to stand in the corner and play his violin in a very jolly tune, but he had not avoided all the attacks and was covered from top to bottom in multiple colours, his bones no longer white.

All of a sudden hands sprung up from everywhere and stopped people from moving whether it was tripping them up, grabbing their hands, or covering their mouths. "Huhhuhuhu." I heard Robin's laugh coming from upstairs. "I'm sorry to interrupt your fun. But we don't want our food supply depleting now do we."

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"YOU... AND YOU!" Sanji pointed at Luffy and Usopp. "YOU ARE GOING TO PICK UP EVERY CRUM OF BREAD, DROP OF LIQUID, AND GRAIN OF RICE UNTIL THE FLOOR IS SPOTLESS!"

"We weren't the only ones who were fighting." Usopp's nose seemed to droop in sadness.

"No," Sanji agreed, "but Luffy was the one that started it, and you were the one that yelled out foodfight so you are both going to take responsibility for this."

"Oi!" Luffy huffed. "Tashy threw the tray at Brook first so I didn't start it!"

"Tashigi is innocent of any crime you give her because she was doing that in self-defense against Brook's perverted attacks. So, that's overruled! Besides she's too beautiful and classy to be cleaning." He said with stars in his eyes.

"WHAT!?" Both Luffy and Usopp said glaring at Sanji.

I looked back at Tashigi expecting her to be smirking in triumph the way Nami often would when she got out of doing something she didn't want to do, but she wasn't. She was frowning and shaking her head.

"No Sanji, they have a good point, I and Luffy started the fight and Usopp named it, so we should be the ones to clean it up." She stepped forward and picked up the bucket that she emptied over me, from infront of Sanji. Her hair sticking back in odd positions, because of all the ketchup that Usopp had fired in her direction, and started walking to the kitchen sink to fill it up.

"Okay." She turned around to look at the others. "Luffy you could clean up the remaining food and get a few more buckets of water. Usopp if you could get a few mops, brushes and clothes that would be ideal."

"Why are you making all the decisions." Luffy fumed. "I'm the Captain!"

"Because I don't know where you keep them." She turned back around and made her way back into the messy kitchen again.

"THIS SUCKS!" Luffy yelled seeing all the red splatter marks sprawled across the ceiling, down the walls, the windows, and splattered across the floor, and scowled at Usopp. "You did make a lot of mess didn't you?"

"You're the one that was throwing sandwiches around." Usopp subjected in his obviously weary of life problems and worries voice.

"Look at all the ketchup stars on the ceiling." Luffy said looking up. "It looks like someone died up there."

Sanji appeared behind them. "ONE OF YOU WILL DIE IF THIS ISN'T CLEANED UP!"

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_'That dive into the sea was just what I needed to wash off all that food.__'_ I lay down on the top of the bathhouse roof. '_Such a good view from up here. I wonder how the others are doing? __Well, I do not envy them of that job.' _

I shut my eye again as a warm breeze rocked the boat.

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'SLAM!' My eyes shot open to see what might be spotted downstairs on the deck. I sat up and caught at a glance Luffy, Usopp and Tashigi leaving the kitchen and making their way towards the port side of the Thousand Sunny. Luffy yelled something that seemed to indicate for them to wait as he ran off somewhere to get something. I watched them lazily as the burning sun was bearing down on us and all of a sudden Luffy was back with three fishing poles, a bucket of bait, rope, and a bright yellow floppy piece of rubber by the looks of things.

_'I can't really tell from this distance anyway.'_ I watched Luffy take a deep breath that seemed to make his chest three times its normal size and then he blew into the yellow item. It slowly transformed from being nothing into being a huge rubber ring duck, and Luffy pulled it down over his head.

_'What is that idiot up to now?'_ I got up and walked closer to observe them from another side of the red and yellow roof top and then sat back down again. They had proceeded to tie the ropes around their waists and secure the other end firmly. Then, not surprisingly all three of them jumped overboard relying on the ropes to hold them steadfastly to the ship.

'_Morons_.' Thinking that didn't make me move from that spot though. '_Knowing Luffy's inability to swim, Usopp relatively timid/terrified nature towards almost everything, and Tashigi's __justice running so strong it's practically __suicidal; I__'m going to have to__ remain as the unofficial lifeguard for th__is__ group __in case something c__o__me__s__ up__.__'_

All three of them after having landed in the sea used the ropes to pull themselves back up again. They were all laughing to themselves and pointing at one another. _'Since when had she started laughing __and having fun __with the others?'_ I watched them a little while.

_'What happened to all that talk about pirates vs marines?_ _Was she even serious about that?_ …' I scratched the back of my head. _'Yes, of course she was._ _She was that type of person and finds enjoyment over __the tiniest of details__.'_

I noticed Luffy giving Tashigi's loose wet hair a tug, and she batted his hand away in irritation, made some sort of rude aggravating comment, and jumped backwards doing two flips in mid air before gravity smacked her into the shifting sea waves. _'Not bad._ _Not brilliant, but good.'_ I had always thought she'd been an awkward woman and probably tripped up over her own feet doing a stunt like that, but it appears I've been fooled.

Luffy, unwilling to be beaten, jumped in afterwards leaving Usopp gloating to himself on deck, as he pretended that he won the game of who could climb up the side of the ship the fastest. And then seeing as he had been left behind he jumped off doing one of his dramatic poses.

_'Wait, why am I watching them so intendly. I don't need to. I can sense it if one of them gets into trouble_.' I lay back down on the roof facing the sun and shut my eyes. '_Come on. I need to think this through. It's just like what she said the other __day__ … __no, I mean __this __very early morning __in fact__. __It's highly unlikely that I will get very far with this. She's not the sort of person __who __would change her mind. She's like a bull with a target in it's sights. She just keeps charging even if she knows she's going to get hurt. So, all I need to know is how I can harness that energy and channel it down a different route, give her another target, hard, but not impossible. It'll definitely be worth it if I can persuade her that not all pirates are the bastards she tries to make them out to be.'_

_'__She __despises__ pirates, and yet treats most people the same... So, __what is she? ... Well,__ she is a __damn__ people pleaser, __and wants them__ to admire her, and in return she praises them __for doing the right thing__ as well. She believes in what she says, speaks truthfully, and so what she'd find the most unbearable would be a dishonest person.' _

_'Hense why she was so mad at me for so long...and still is, __Even though I didn't lie. She had thought I had. __B__ut that __opinion __can be changed.'_ I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.

_'The only reason she works for the World Government is because it has a system in place that helps nearly all people apart from the ones that refuse to become a part of it. She's like a childish angel with no wings, and her daft expectations of what the world should be like is exceptionally naïve, but there is something beautiful about it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I really like it.'_

_'Crap, listen to me. maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my older age or maybe... yeah. Something like that.' _

I scowled again annoyed at how unfocused my train of thought had become and decided watching the others was better than thinking about them. Luffy got out first, pulling himself up on deck and out of the rubber duck ring, The others had just got out of the water as well, and were wringing water from their clothes. Then both Luffy and Usopp took their shirts off and draped them over the barrier while Tashigi wrung out the salt water from her hair and plaited it. She turned towards them and it was then that I noticed just how transparent the water had made her shirt, her black underwear easily seen even from my distance.

_'Damn, now I wish I was down there.' _My eyes roamed about her body taking in the small details. _'Those two years really changed her for the better. She isn't nearly as awkward as she was when I met her. But then again that's to be expected after being promoted to Captain in the Marines.'_

Usopp having suddenly remembered something rushed off to get it. Tashigi picked up her plait and wrapped it round in a bun on top and then seemed to use the last bit to pull through the others and knot it in place. She did this as she turned to face Luffy as he pulled up the fishing poles and started attaching the bait to the end of a hook in his hand.

"Hello Zoro." A whisper rang out behind me.

I barely concealed the surprise of hearing Brook's voice. _'What __i__s he doing here?'_

"Hey Brook. Whatch doing?" I yawned and lay back down on the roof.

"Oh, …. nothing. I was just wondering why you are still here since you've been up on this roof now for more than three hours." He looked down at the others. "Oh... I see. That's the main reason."

"What?" I asked without thinking. _'No!_ _To late to take that back.'_

"Your Marine lady friend does have an outstanding chest doesn't she?" Brook said.

"Tuph..." I scoffed. "Besides she's not my lady friend... or whatever." I blushed a deep red. _'How can he say that so bluntly out loud?'_

"Ahhhhhhh... okay... How tiresome... And here I thought I could give you some advice about making the ladies love you."

"I don't want ... ladies to love me. I can get by in life with .. Without that hassle!" My heartbeat had picked up the pace with all this talk about Tashigi. '_What the hell? Does Brook actually know. That bastard Sanji has he been spreading lies?' _

"Arrrrre... well you see I might not look it, being all bones and all, but I'm really popular with the ladies..." He leaned in closer as if he was going to tell a secret. "There was this one time with one girl who was a fan of my music actually painted herself as a skeleton and broke into my room back stage. She had stripped naked and I found a womanly shaped skeleton in my room. She was desperate for some funky, wild me! In order for us to get around the skin and muscle barrier, I put on..."

"GOSH, BROOK! I don't want to know okay!" I pushed his skull back a bit as he was a little too close for comfort. "I get the picture, and I didn't want it to begin with so keep those thoughts and memories to yourself."

Brook nodded and turned back to look at the scene. "I see." He said. "Although I haven't..."

"DON'T SAY IT." I glared at him.

"got …... any …." I rested my hand on Wado Ichimonji and he stopped.

"Could you just go away. I came up here for some space to think okay." I muttered before Brook could think of anything else to say.

"I just came up here because I thought you looked lonely and because I thought I might be able to cheer you up."

_'Damn... way to make a man feel bad.'_ I sighed. "Fine, you can stay."

"Thanks." Brook sat down cross-legged.

Tashigi calling out a 'thankyou' suddenly caught my attention and I looked down at the three of them again. _'Usopp's giving her a new pair of glasses.'_ I smiled, _'That's thoughtful of him.'_

"Sure is a beautiful view this morning." Brook said.

"Yeah it is." I agreed. I looked around out to sea again but there was nothing in sight but the endless amount of water and clear blue sky.

"Good view." He said again, and I looked back at Brook only to notice that his jaw seemed to have dropped open as he had stared too long at the scene below us. "She's a real lady, soft, bouncy has a really nice looking..."

"BROOK!" I spoke in as lower voice as I could so as not to alert the others of where we were. "Don't look at her that way. You get me."

"But I thought you said she wasn't your lady friend... Oh, do you not call her that then? …. hummmmmmmm …. So that means you might call her your girlfriend, your woman, your hot gall, your love, your honey, your darling,..." I was fuming again. "No wait! It's probably going to be a sword term right? Because you're both traditionalists in your ways and sword fighting skills... So, she's going to be … your wife? your sheath? No I can't imagine that. Yohohohohoho!"

My mouth dropped open. I can't tell if I'm supposed to be flattered, sickened, angered, or ….. _'Why is he so keen to pin a name onto her? I haven't even got that far yet.'_

"Or maybe you could call her your ..."

"Okay, I'm off. See ya." I slid down over the edge and landed on the deck. '_I don't need that sort of conversation right now. It's not going to help the current problem.'_

.

.

I walked back into the kitchen._ 'I really need to be away from her at the moment. She's getting way too distracting. I need some booze, and then I'll go for a work out.'_

"No." Came an annoying voice. I looked back at Sanji who was standing in the doorway.

"Huh?"

"No, you can't have any booze we're saving it for this evening, Luffy wants to have a party before we come to Dressrosa."

"I'll just be taking the one..."

"Knowing Luffy, he'll probably want to start it right after he's had a nap, finished with fishing, and tried to bother everyone on this ship, and that will probably be around three." Sanji lit a new cigarette and took and deep breath in. "So, just wait until then." he picked up an apple and chucked it at me.

I shrugged pretending it didn't bother me and sat down on the blue coach near the table.

"IT'S SOOOOOO SADDDD!" Chopper, who was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, burst into tears and cried into the pages of his book. I could only look on in wonder at how emotional our reindeer could be.

"Come on Chopper, it can't all be that traumatic." I stood up walked over to him and took the book out of his hands and looked at it. _**'Legends of those that saved monsters.'**__ 'Trust Chopper to read something like this.'_I shook my head. "Chopper you do realise this is all superstition. These are legends, fairy tales, and folk tales. They're not real."

"Really!?"

"Yep. You don't need to be concerned about any of the monsters." I gave the book back to him.

"Well, I wasn't crying because of a monster." Chopper frowned up at me. "I was crying because the really kind person dies at the end."

"Hummm." I sat down opposite him and took two more bites out of the apple. "Okay, so what's the story?"

"This one story," said Chopper. "is called 'The Foolish Traveller.'" he flipped over the pages until he found the right one.

"Okay," Chopper cleared his throat. "Once upon a time there was a foolish traveller that went on a journey. He wanted to travel to the other side of world and back and so packed everything that he needed to get by and succeed in this quest and sold all of the possessions that he didn't need. He took with him seven huge gems filled with starlight that had been the lucky charms of his family for decades. It started out well. He was an intelligent man that had money, knowledge, and a goal in mind until one day when he met a beggar woman at the entrance to a huge city he was walking past."

"'Please sir.' said the woman,'" Chopper said in a shaky old sounding voice. "'But could you please spare me some money. My house burned down and I have no place to go.' The traveller was shocked and took both her hands in his. 'Of course I can help you.' He said and marching her into town he bought her a beautiful house with the 1st lucky gem."

"'I hope this will be enough.' said the traveller." "'It will.' said the old woman in astonishment. Then word spread of the good deed."

'''Next he came to an orphanage where a group of boys were gathered talking. 'Please sir.' said one of them, 'But could you please spare me some money. I'm sick, and have no mother or father, and I have no place to go.' The traveller was shocked and took both his hands in his. 'Of course I can help you.' He said pulling out his 2nd lucky gem he handed it to the boy, 'This is my treasure from my father, I want you to have it."

"'Wow!' yelled the boy with glee, and he took it, and ran off with the other boys leaving the traveller all by himself. 'I only wish I could do more.' said the traveller. Then word spread of the good deed."

"Next he met a poor peasant girl. 'Please sir.' said the girl, 'But could you please spare me some money. I have a sick younger sister, and if I don't give her medicine she will die.' The traveller was shocked and took both her hands in his. 'Of course I can help you.' He said and marched into town and bought her and her sister the expensive medicine. And then gave her the 3rd lucky gem. 'With this gem you shall always find happiness.' He said and then left her, but what he didn't know was that he had been lied to and that the peasant girl had no sister at all..."

I sighed. "Okay, I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Could you skip over this part and just read the last page or something?"

Chopper scowled at him over the book's edge, but skipped over a few pages. "Okay I'll summarise it for you. He gives away all his gems, and then he gives away all his money to the people that turn out to be lying to him and then he gives away all of his possessions, rings, coat, horse, dog, shoes,... everything until he is wearing nothing."

"Well, that's just stupid." I rolled my eyes and leaned back into the chair.

"That's not the end, stupid!" Chopper glared. He picked up his book and carried on reading, but breaking down the story into a short version. "He became so ashamed of his nakedness that he went off the path and walked through the darkling forest where monsters lurked... They too had heard of this foolish traveller, found him, and begged him. 'I haven't eaten in so long, and you're the only human I've seen in months, could you please spare me an arm, or a leg or hand, or a foot.' The monsters' asked him kindly, and feeling sorry for them the traveller agrees. Giving away parts of him and saying, 'I only wish I could do more.'" Chopper started crying again.

"He carried on giving away pieces of himself to the monsters until only his head was left. And a monster asked for his eyes. Once he had eaten the man's eyes he said, 'Thank you traveller. I leave you this gift.' He dropped a piece of paper with the word fool written on it and walked away from the traveller with a chuckle. But the traveller not being able to see, started crying tears of joy." Chopper was shredding tears of sadness like a never ending stream of them running down his face. "'Thank you.' he said 'This is the first present anyone's given me on this journey. Thank you. Thank you so much.' and weeping those last tears of gratitude the traveller died."

"..."

"See! I told you it was saaaaaadddddd." Chopper continued to weep as he had been doing.

I was disturbed. '_What sort of lesson was this disturbing tale trying to teach anyway. Don't be stupid. Don't be so sacrificial __to complete strangers, don't__ give up you're dream for someone else. Anyway, it's a pretty creepy lesson.' _

"Well, it was a pretty dumb story. Only Zombies, Ghosts, Kinemon until the influence of Law's powers, and a few people with devil fruit powers can talk without a body. So that was really stupid. Having a talking head. Ridiculous."

"Shut up Zoro!" Chopper cried. "You don't know what it's like to want to help people that can't help themselves."

I scowled at that comment. "I know full well what it's like. That's my job on this crew to make sure our enemies are cut down and that the crew is saved. So don't talk to me as if I know nothing." I reached over and grabbed his nose. He yelped and I let him go.

'_Don't act as though I don't care. I do. I just don't like showing the whole world what I'm thinking about. Stupid Usopp, he's been filling Chopper's head with nonsense. I wonder just how gullible Chopper can be?'_

I grinned. I lifted my closed fist and it had what remained of my mashed up apple core in it, and I showed it to him. It was a fare distance away, enough that he wouldn't be able to tell much difference between my thumb and the mashed up remains. "I got your nose."

"What! No way?!" Chopper's jaw dropped.

_'I knew he would act like this. __Oh, I've got an idea.__'_ I shoved what remained of the (nose) apple core into my mouth and swallowed it. "Yum. Tasty. I'm so hungry."

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper yelled. "MONSTER!"

I grinned down at him and said. "Please mister reindeer. I'm so hungry, and I've not eaten in such a long time. Could you spare me a leg."

"NO WAYYYYYY!..." Chopper ran as fast as he could out of the kitchen and onto the lawn up the other side of the ship constantly screaming that I had become a monster.

As soon as the door slammed shut I couldn't contain my laughter. Chopper was always so easy to impress and pick on, in some ways it was kind of sad that he still couldn't seem to understand the difference between a lie and the truth and a story like this was actually pretty good one for him to read.

But that didn't stop the nagging feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach. This story was sick, and pretty nasty. _'What sort of idiot would really do that anyway? __But then again Chopper wasn't an idiot, and he could be fooled extremely easily. No, it's not a fool that needs to watch out in this story, Luffy's a fool but he won't take this crap, and even if he does he gets over it quickly. It's the kind people who need to watch out, they can be easily deceived and don't realize any better until it's too late.__'_

I walked out on deck and sat down out of way from the others. Luffy and Usopp were busy sleeping against each other sitting up not even awakening to Chopper outburst, and Tashigi was busy humming away to herself staring out to sea with a distant look on her face.

_'This nagging feeling I'm getting. It's because of her. I just know it. She's a kind, and gentle __person__ that been trying to disguise herself as an angry Captain out for vengeance. How has she managed to fool everyone all this time?_'

It wasn't a good truth to take in, but it was a fact. She was always too reckless. And if I can see that after only a few occasions how many more people can see it and abuse it.

_'The only thing she has protecting her is the name that she has behind her, 'the NAVY, or the MARINES' if she wasn't an officer then how long would she have lasted out here in the Grand Line.' _

I kept my eye focused on her until gradually the sun's warmth sent me into an uncomfortable sleep.

.

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**End of Chapter 16:**

**I actually borrowed the story 'the foolish traveller' from Fruit's Basket's episode 11. It was a really creepy sad story. I didn't intend to add it in until the moment when I decided that Chopper should be reading something different, and then I decided to lengthen the size of the story and put that in at the same time.**


	17. Booze

**Chapter 18: **

**The tenth of August. My, oh my, the last chap made me cry.**

**The eleventh of August. My, my, that Zoro's sly.**

**The twelfth of August. My, oh my, No chap yet, didn't even try.**

**The thirteenth of August. My my doesn't time fly. **

**The fourteenth of August. My, oh my, got no food no money to buy.**

**The fifteenth of August. My, my I need some pie.**

**The sixteen of August. My, oh my, I'm on a friendship high.**

**The seventeenth of August. My, my, I have to say good-bye. **

**:(**

**Beware of the beer my friends, beware of the beer. It grows on you. One day you think it's disgusting and a few months later you suddenly have cravings for it.**

**Beware of the beer my friends, beware of the beer.**

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Hard Lines: Booze and Baths

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After Luffy got tired of drawing he declared the beginning of a feast. As if he was celebrating a future victory that was due to come to him tomorrow.

'…..'

_'Yeah, I don't get it either. How can he act so confidently? __H__e knows he's going to break into a country and threaten it's ruler with less than fifteen people on his side. __What can I say about that? __Well done? __Congratulations!?__ Good luck? __He's such a __crazy man __he'll do it even if everyone on the crew told him not too__.__'_

.

.

The food was fantastic as always... and the starters, mains, seconds, extras, puddings, desserts, extras again... had all taken about four hours to eat them all with games and conversation in between each serving as Sanji planned each one just so. It always seemed when Sanji cooked any normal ingredient that I had tasted anywhere else was ten times more delicious. I really didn't know how he did it. Or maybe it was just the atmosphere around the table and the fact that Strawhat's laughter was contagious. Laughter and good food would always make everything seem better. The time flew by and we all left the dining room on a high.

_'Time to head to bed. We all have one crazy day tomorrow. I wonder if Nami put up an extra bed for me like she said she would.'_ I opened the girl's dorm/room.

"Tashigi!" Nami came up to me and grabbed my arm pulling me into the room.

"What is it?!" I asked hurriedly. _'What is her problem?'_

"Aren't you going to get ready!?" Nami asked.

"For bed. Yeah, I will." I looked about for it and saw a mat with a duvet lying in the corner of the room.

Nami raised an eyebrow in inquisition. "What? No way, not yet."

Nami pulled off her bikini and long skinny jeans unaware of any prying eyes that might be lurking in at a window or if she was aware totally unashamed of her body and unabashed that someone else might like the look of it. I glanced at the window to make sure for her that no one else was indeed looking in.

Nami picked up a turquoise, short dress that had thin straps that held it up. It had a beautifully intricate design of flowers overlapping each other in a diamond shape at the front of the dress, however this wasn't printed on, but cut into the fabric itself. She pulled it on over her head and pulled it down until her body was coated like a glove in the turquoise lacy dress. The bottom of the dress just about covered her privates, but not enough to leave anything to the imagination.

_'What is she thinking? The diamond shape is so wide you can almost see...most of her chest. And that looks way to short... that can't be what she actually wants to wear. It would be far to awkward to in public.'_

"Oooooh." Robin nodded. "Very nice Nami. You look stunning in that."

"Thank you. I know." She posed as if to show off just how brilliant she looked. "What were you thinking of wearing Robin?"

Robin seemed to think about it for a moment and then moved over to the wardrobe. "I think I'll wear my new silk sash. I haven't had a chance to wear it as of yet."

"Oooo! Good choice." Nami said as Robin retrieved the long piece of fabric. She wrapped it around herself a few times tying it up in places until it held itself up. The fabric was so lightweight and transparent however it barely looked like she had anything on.

_'Just a sash? Won't she get cold. It gets cold later at night when your at sea.' _

"And now for you." Nami said. She walked over to me and looked me in the eyes. "Hummm, Robin how should we dress her up do you think."

"Well, you should think about what she wants to stand for. She's a marine so blue and white are good colour choices. White stands for purity, and blue is the colour of tranquillity and peace. But going by what she has worn in the past, I'd say pink and purple are also popular colours of hers." Robin added.

"I'm happy in what I'm wearing." I said. "and I probably won't stay out as long as you guys." I suddenly felt a yawn coming as if on cue and I let it out. "I'm actually feeling really tired."

"Why didn't you sleep during the day?" Nami looked unamused as she put her hands on her hips. _'__That's against protocol... __this is like being with my mother again.'_

"I could never sleep during the day." I said in shock.

Robin smiled to herself and giggled. "She's a little innocent baby, Nami, don't be mean to her. If she wants to go to bed early then let her go to bed early." Robin got some sort of perfume off the chest-of-draws and started applying it.

"What are you doing Robin?" Nami came up alongside her and teasingly nudged her a bit. "Dressing up a bit more than usual?"

"Well to be honest." Robin said bluntly. "I wanted to see whether our Ex-warlord guest might be interested in seeing the view from the dark observation room that is the library. And who knows maybe some terrible, mysterious past might be revealed that I do not yet know of."

"And maybe something else?" Nami raised an eyebrow looking at hers and Robin's reflections in their mirror.

"And maybe something else that must not be mentioned." Robin agreed glancing at me through the mirror.

Nami giggled. "Well, I'll give you three hours, but to tell you the truth I rather took a fancy to him myself. He's so mysterious. Wouldn't it be interesting to switch with someone's body for a day? Just think, if he could body switch me with some millionaire or a pompous celestrial dragons, as one of them I could donate money to myself, our ship, and no one would be the wiser for it." while talking Nami shifted her breasts while in her dress making the obviously stretched diamond shape stretch even more with all the extra weight at the front.

I sat down on the bed on the floor. _'__Nami can dream all she wants too about switching bodies with someone, but as for me... well I am fine not switching again._ _These two actually put a lot of effect in making themselves look good. I haven't done this sort of thing in … forever. It's strange, but then again they have probably got this far in life by using all their assets and not by simply relying on one skill that was made available to them.' _

"Okay...Done." Nami stopped faffing about and walked back over to me. "And now for you."

"I'm really quite fine. I'll go out like this." I indicated my salty shirt that I had previously gone swimming in earlier to wash off the old food smell. '_There is no point getting changed on this ship. Because sooner or later something else is going to be spilled down you. This afternoon and evening proved that.'_

"Don't be ridiculous." Nami said. "I have the perfect dress for you."

_'Should I make a dash for the door? Do I stay in here and accept their kindness? Can I really trust her judgement?'_

"Here it is." Nami pulled it out and held it up to herself. "Modest enough and yet sexy too." It was a long, dark, blue dress that had strands of golden flowers that seemed to reflect some of the lights. It's neckline was high up and not **cut** into, and the only thing I could see that was wrong was that the dress seemed to be quite narrow and cut up on one side.

"Alright now take off your old things and put on the dress." Nami insisted.

"But I don't think it will..."

"Oh, come on. Just try it on. If it doesn't feel right we can find another."

"Okay." I took off my shirt and trousers and received it from her. The fabric was incredibly silky and smooth, and my doubts about not-liking it were diminished. I put it on and found it had a gentle stretch to the fabric which stopped you from feeling like you were strapped into it. All in all it felt like a sleeve of silk had just been placed over my body.

"What do you think?" Nami asked. "Do you like it or do you want to try another on?"

"It feels amazing." I ran my hands down the fabric. "The depth of the colours, the closeness of the weave, and the fine attention to the pattern just makes it so … breath-taking."

"I know." Nami said. "That's why I bought it."

She helped me tie up the back of the dress and then pressured me to sit down in the chair and their vanity chest where she proceeded to untie my hair.

It was really stiff even after she had taken the brush to it. "Wow, the salt in your hair makes it stick together. It's gone all wavy and curly, but you've got to wash it tonight. It'll go bad if you don't."

"Yes, mother." I sighed.

_'This is an extremely unusual situation. She really is acting and talking just like my mother.'_

.

.

We all came out on the top balcony/deck a little later than the others, and the men didn't seem to notice the extra company. So we made our way downstairs.

"All right!" Luffy yelled. "Cheers everyone!" He held up his mug and then chugged it down his throat.

"Yeah! Cheers!" Everyone replied.

My foot caught on something on the first stair tripping me over. _'Damn... why is it always me?'_ Just as I was about to trip back down. I felt seven hands and arms support my shoulders and push me upright again. _'Am I seeing things?'_ they were all growing out of the banister wood. "Huh?"

"You're welcome." Robin's voice came from above and I turned to look back up and saw her with a glass in her hand. Her arms were crossed and another hand appeared alongside her and waved at me.

"Thank you." I said and then stepped down to join the others on the lawn. Kinemon and Momonosuke were with them as well, and even Law and Caesar were there. _'If I hadn't come out I'd be the only person on the ship that didn't join in.'_

"HEY! GIRLLY!" I turned toward Franky. He was posing in some weird way that I suppose was supposed to be impressive. "YOU'RE LOOKING SUPER HOT!"

"Um, thank you." I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "You're looking very … shiny."

"YEAH!" He yelled and then in two steps was at my side. "Now, push my nose."

"What?"

"Push my nose and hold it down for three seconds."

I raised an eyebrow at the weirdness of his request, but I did as he asked. His nose clicked down and I heard a whirling sound coming from somewhere in the back of his head, and then out suddenly sprung an new hair style, Blue hair rolling into the shape of a cannon.

"Oh my gosh!" I jumped back.

"Yahahahahaha!" Franky laughed at me. "It's cool right!?"

"I have no idea? That's not normal."

"Of course not.! Who want's to be normal!?"

"Hummm." It was a good question.

"Oh, by the way. Your dress is broken." He added.

"Um..." I looked down at my left leg that was a little exposed. "I think it's designed to look like that."

.

.

For most of the evening I refused the drinks offered to me and dedicated my time in teaching Momonosuke how to play the game of Charades, which he was enjoying immensely. I was impressed with how well he could act and Brook, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper joined in as well absolutely loving the game. However when his father decided that his son needed to go to sleep a great debate between father and son was started over whether or not a samurai needed sleep and the game was cancelled until the spoiled son woke up again tomorrow.

Once they had gone I did finally accept a drink offered to me by Sanji. It was bright blue and looked hypnotizing. As I was drinking I noticed Luffy was looking at me again.

"What is it?" I asked slightly tired with every random thing that Strawhat had thrown at me that day.

"Did you know your skirt-dress thingy is broken?" Luffy said seriously, pointing to the slit.

_'Oh, my, gosh. Not again.'_ I sighed. "Yes, I know. Nami bought it broken and said I had to wear it."

"That's stupid. Nami's usually good at fixing things." He frowned and then yelled at the top of his voice in the direction of Nami. "Oi Nami, you cheapskate! You can't give people clothes that are broken! That's like Sanji giving someone a plate that's only half full."

"It's designed that way Luffy!" She yelled back.

"HUHF! OI Traf-guy! You want another barrel mug?!" Law shook his head, and raised up a still full mug. Luffy turned back to me. "Did you want another!?"

"No, I'm fine." I assured him. _'I haven't even had one yet.' _I made my way over to the starboard side of the ship and looked out across the sea.

.

.

"Oi Marine!" I turned towards Zoro as he indicated that I should walk over tilting his head and looking to his left. He dropped another barrel mug to the floor having finished it completely when I got up close. It probably wasn't a good time for me to be around him. What with him being drunk and all.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" I said looking down at the ten mugs lying on the deck at his feet.

He smiled. It was such a free and happy smile that for the moment I was quite shocked. I didn't know he could smile like that. "Don't be stupid. It's just the beginning." He indicated to his collection.

"Gross." I shook my head. _'I'm not impressed.'_

"The words of a slacker. How much can you take?" Zoro asked.

"Well, I don't drink." I said firmly.

"Lightweight. Huh?" Zoro smirked.

"No, I just choose not to."

"Excuses, excuses." Zoro shook his head. "You're such a polite woman, you've probably taken a vow never to drink alcohol just because someone told you it's bad for you right? Anyway that's probably for the best you'll definitely pass out after your second mug."

"What!" I pouted. "I don't where you're tried getting your information from but I've made no such promise!"

"Okay then." He picked up another barrel mug and lifted it up to me. "I've already had ten mugs see if you can out-drink me starting from now. Will eleven give me a glance on heaven, or will you get done by your number one." he raised up another and lifted it up to his own lips. "Three, two, one..." He started gulping it down like a man dying of thirst and I tried to copy him as if I knew what I was doing.

_'This tastes gross! Why do people like drinking this stuff anyway? It's so bitter, and irony... yeah that's right. It tastes like condensed iron, and old potatoes in water that's occasionally fizzy. Come on I have to keep on going... I can't let him beat me in everything.' _

I at last finished the mug and held it out to Zoro. He was grinning from ear to ear. He took the mug from me and set it on the ground with a thud. "First one downed! How do you feel?"

"Fine." I said. Truthfully, I felt like my head was spinning and that I had never tasted anything so disgusting.

"Right then number two for you." He gave me another mug. "And I'll delve into twelve." He grinned picking up his mug and raised it again. "Ready? One, two, three!"

I gulped it down faster this time around and a lot of it spilled over the rim of the mug down my neck. _'So much for looking alloof and above the rif-raf tonight.'_

Once I had finished it, I saw again that Zoro had beaten me too it, and had finished his entire mug and was waiting for me to finish mine. He took my mug from me and slammed it down with the others.

He picked up the next two. "Your free three, and my lucky thirteen." _'Is he rhyming on purpose?'_

"Thirteen isn't a lucky number." I said feeling confused at the thought that in some alternate universe in pirate land, it might be.

"Don't be so superstitious. Every number's lucky if you want it to be."

.

.

"No more." I held out my hand. "I'm done." Even while standing I felt shaky. '_This is not good. I can't even see straight. And that's even with my new glasses that Usopp made for me this afternoon.'_

Zoro held out another. "Don't loose your nerve now."

"No. I've had enough. And You?" I asked. "Why are you drinking alone? You shouldn't just be lying on the floor drinking. Why don't you interact with the others?"

"I'm always with them. What's wrong with wanting to be by myself?"

"Nothing I guess." I looked back down at him. "but you do look very uncomfortable there. Come on time to stop drinking for a while and walk about." I held out my hand to him.

Reaching up and taking my hand he pulled hard. To my surprise his weight overbalance me and I fell onto his lap, and for a couple of seconds the world seemed a hazy blur of stars, lanterns, moonlight, sounds of simple laughter from other people's conversations, and Zoro's warmth. The world came back into focus just as Brook started playing a tune on his violin, but it still felt as if it was swaying at 90 degree angles.

I cleared my throat trying to make my voice sound clear."You weren't supposed to yank me down. I was supposed to pull you up."

"It's not my fault you weren't ready for it." He complained as well.

All of a sudden all of my senses started tingling as I felt him shift about with me on his lap until I was facing forwards with my back to him. My eyes darted about the area taking in any information that might indicate that they were about to laugh at me. _'It doesn't even seem as if anyone__'s__ even noticed.'_

Zoro uncrossed his legs and spread them out pushing me forwards until I was sitting between them on the grass. He then, taking both of my shoulders in his hands, pulled me back to lie against him. It was then that I noticed how bright the stars were that night, and just how far away they felt. It was a strange contrast to the immediate and close warmth of Zoro beneath me. _'I can't do this. I can't remain here. It's too comfortable, and intimate.'_

"Since you're now sitting down. How about seven!?" Zoro asked with unusual cheerfulness.

_'I don't not feel good.'_ I shook my head. "No. I've had enough, I don't even like the taste of it."

"What? That's no good." He had a concerned look on his face, and for some reason a small part of my conscience really wanted him to touch me. "Better rest a bit." He pulled me back into his lap off the grass and leaned my head back onto his left shoulder. I felt his strong and muscularly arms around me and somehow the smell of him had my stomach knotting up. '_What the hell is wrong with me? Is it the alcohol, or is it me?'_

"Is ... is this alright?" I asked.

"Of course it is four-eyes. Have a rest, then you'll feel better." He insisted.

I closed my eyes, but all I could picture was the world turning upside down. I felt as though I was spinning slowly in a revolving seat that wasn't stopping.

I opened my eyes again when I felt something brushing up the side of my left leg. There I saw the cut strip of fabric from the dress had revealed more leg than I thought would be possible and Zoro's hand was on it brushing it slightly up and down.

_'__I really __shouldn't be liking this._' his hand slid down on the outside again. _'I kind-of__ like the way his hand__'s__ mov__ing__. __He__'__s __so __gentle.__'_ I shut my eyes for a brief few seconds and just pretended that there was no barriers. In those few seconds he could do whatever he wanted.

_'Three.'_

_'Two.'_

_'One.'_

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy yelled.

"What?!" Zoro's hand magically disappeared from off my leg.

"You've got to join in with this song!" Luffy yelled. "Oh! And you too Traf-guy!"

"What song?" Trafalgar Law asked.

"My favourite!" Luffy yelled back in answer.

"What?" Law frowned. Everyone else seemed to have started humming though.

"What Song?" I tried to turn to look at him.

"It's the one that Luffy always likes to sing." Zoro explained.

"Oh." I nodded still unsure as to what that even meant.

Zoro started to join in and I heard his deep voice vibrating from within his chest and somehow the sound seemed to be coming out of my back and chest as well.

The sound of the singing rose into a wave of confusing madness and I shut my eyes. I can't even see anything clearly anyway even with my glasses so there was no point in keeping them open.

_'It was a mad song._ _A mad song for a mad crew.'_ And I smiled in bliss at the joyful melody of their madness and relaxed into a twisting and uneasy rest.

.

.

I was walking down a corridor as fast as I could. For some reason I can't remember the why. And then I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me.

I ran faster, but the sound was catching up. I turned a corner frantically, and there was a bridge. I knew I was saved. All I needed to do was to cross it.

Then a roar sounded behind me and I was knocked to my feet, and the bridge collapsed. I looked up at it defeat and desperation. 'Surely there must be another way out...'

The beast in black towered over me, and I was shaking in fear. But no sound could come from my mouth, no scream, no word. Just silence and the endless throbbing of my beating heart pounding in my chest. The beast bent down and grabbing me by the hair pulled me up to looked at me with it's deep, red, vibrant, eyes.

…...

Then all of a sudden I was in a room full of mirrors. I could see myself repeatedly all around it looked like I was just a part of a thousand insignificant people that looked just like me. I ran around the edges trying to feel or to find a way out, but the beast was there standing in the middle and after all my searching I couldn't find any other way. I bashed myself against the mirror, but I found that it was as hard as steal. It was then that I saw my real reflection and noticed my nakedness.

'_No_.' I shook my head and covered up my chest with my arms. _'This can't happen to me. __Please no.__'_

The beast in the centre of the room became a huge shadow looming up behind me and with one touch on my shoulder sent a wave of quivering, shameful desire through my body. I looked at the shadow in the reflection and saw it change in Zoro, and he was very naked too. My heart skipped a beat, and my head felt giddy.

"I'm going to have you." Zoro's reflection said back at me.

"No." I shook my head and closed my legs ashamed at having no control over my body's physical attraction towards him. He turned me around to face him and stepped up towards me until my back was against the mirror.

And he slammed me into it so hard it shattered the glass around it cutting my skin. "Obey." he ordered.

"Ow!..." I winced and tried to break away from his grasp.

"Obey!" He grinded me against the broken mirror and I felt splinters embedding themselves into my back.

"Yes! Yes, I will!" I felt tears streaming down my face as I spread my legs for him. He gave me a small smile of gratitude and positioned himself infront of me.

"You're my special little girl aren't you?" He put his fingers up inbetween my legs.

"Yes." I winced when he touched me.

"You're going to do what I need you to do won't you?" He looked me in the eye.

"Yes." I nodded unable to break away. Tears began to pour down my face.

"Don't tell anyone else about this otherwise they'll call you a liar."

And then in reckless abandonment he hammered into me. It was hard and painful, and unrelenting. I gasped at the pain as my body tried to get used to the onslaught. I tried to touch him, but it was as if he was untouchable. It was then that noticed that I was being held back.

All of a sudden he dropped me and I landed in a small pool of water. I swam to the edge to get out only to find him standing there waiting for me. So I swam back across the pool to other side, but he was there too.

At long last I reached out my hand to him for him to save me from the water. He took it and pulled me out, I felt his warmth instantly again as he embraced me, pulling me into his tight embrace he laid me to the ground and did it again, and again, and again.

By the end I was screaming his name, not because I wanted to, but because I knew that was what he wanted. As I felt my entire body shake uncontrollably for the eighth time when he thrust deeply into me. _'No, __no no no __more..._ _I can't do it anymore...'_

_'Tash.'_

_'No.' _

"_Tash?"_

"_No more!"_

.

.

"Tash?!" I woke up to the sound of Zoro's voice calling me. I shook off the fear and disgusting fake desire from the dream and pretended to have been awake the entire time.

"Uh, …. Yeah what?"

_'I wasn't dreaming about him. I wasn't dreaming about that time! I wasn't. I wasn't. I wasn't!'_

"You've been sleeping for twenty minutes. I just wondered if you wanted me to take you back to your room. Or do you want to carry on sleeping on me?"

_'Room... yes. Good Idea. …. Need sleep... real sleep.'_

"I think I …. manage … myself … thankyou." _'Why does my voice sound funny?'_

His arms that had been around me suddenly dropped away as he pushed me up to standing position. For some reason it felt cold and strange to not have his arms there as if in the time we had just spent sitting together my body had decided to adopt him as extra security. _'How can he still be thinking and breathing normally after having so much to drink? …... __Wait a minute before I go to sleep I need to wash my hair, and my face … no just everything. I feel gross right now. __And that dream was just... I need to wash. Yep, I need to wash.__'_

"No. Of course not … I'm old enough to take … shower by myself." I waved my hand infront of me dismissing his offer and cleared my throat. "I don't need any help."

"Haha. Okay." Zoro seemed to find something funny. "So you're taking a shower." Zoro shrugged in slow moe... "Do you …. need help ... getting there?" I couldn't tell if it was my head that was reading his words incorrectly or if he was talking that way. "I can help you if you want."

"Well..." I lifted my finger up and pointed to him but I couldn't seem to point straight. "I don't … like help ... I'm … gonna leeave."

He didn't seem that bothered. "Okay, ...see you ….soon. Don't tr.p …. up ... stairs!"

_'I think he just insulted me...'_ "Bastard." I muttered under my breath.

I made my way across the floor to the stairs in the kitchen. _'They're right at the end... and they lead up to the bathroom.'_

_'I can walk just fine_.' I focussed my eye sight entirely on my feet. The ladder seemed to be swaying, but I knew that was just the result of the alcohol kicking in. _'__The st__ep__s should be right in the middle of the sway, as long as I am steady __and I can get a good grip __I can walk up them just fine.__'_

.

.

I reached the bathroom area and walked to the toilet first. I sat down on the floor my stomach crapping up. _'I feel so heavy. I feel sick..._'

Flashes of the dream and the subconcious pain came back to memory, and I was sick. I threw back up alcohol I drank just a little while ago into the toilet basin until my head was spinning in dizziness.

_'I don't get people who live like this... Why do they like to drink poison!? Smoker... Hina...Jackston... Yohaa... that other guy... that blond-haired girl that all the officers like... Zoro … Nami... so many others. Why do they always have to drink?'_

I threw up again, and then to a gasp of air and flushed the toilet. Thankfully nothing had gotten on the dress, but I still felt rank.

_'I need to take a bath. A good long bath. And wash away these ridiculous feelings and emotions and this sickness.' _

_'Wash away everything. Wash it all away.'_

_._

_._

As I got ready and made the bath the sound of music broke back through the walls. It was the same song that Luffy had made Zoro sing a little while earlier. It was loud and roudy, but being a little distance away I could actually make out the words.

Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,  
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,  
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,  
Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,

Gather up all the crew!  
Time to ship out Bink's brew!  
Sea wind blows to where,  
Who knows?  
The waves will be our guide!  
O'er across the ocean's tide,  
The sunset is goin' wild,  
See the sky! The birds singing in circles passing by!

Bid farewell to weaver's town!  
Say so long to port renowned!  
Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off!  
Cross the gold and silver waves  
Changin' into water sprays!  
Sailing out on our journey,  
To the ends of the sea!

Gather up all the crew!  
Time to ship out Bink's brew!  
Pirates we, we'll divide and conquer all the seas!  
With the waves to rest our heads,  
The ship beneath us as our bed!  
Hoisted high up on the mast our jolly roger flies!

Somewhere in the endless sky,  
A storm has started comin' by!  
Waves are dancing, having fun,  
Time to sound the drums!  
If we let blow winds of fear, then the end of us is near!  
Even so, tomor-row the sun will rise again!

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

_Gather up all the crew!  
Time to ship out Bink's brew!  
Could be today, could be tomorrow,  
Twilight dreaming.  
No longer now can we see, shadow hands still waving free  
Why worry, there's sure to be a moonlit night again!_

Gather up all the crew!  
Time to ship out Bink's brew!  
Sing a song, a lively song,  
For all the oceans wide!  
After all is said and done,  
We all end up skeletons!  
Endless, aimless, the story on the uproarious seas!

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho.

_._

Their singing sounded loud and fun and reached me through the walls of wood surrounding me. '_they all sound so happy.' _I sighed. '_I need to rest. I'm feeling so weary.' _I sat in the bath listening for a small while and after they had stoped I then started humming the bouncy rhythm and melody of the song again.

"_Who knows? The waves will be our guide! O'er across the ocean's tide,..um...No longer now can we see, shadow hands still waving free..."_

"_Hum, hum hum..humhumhum ..Why worry, there's sure to be a moonlit night again! Waves are dancing, having fun, Time to sound the drums!"_

"_Yo hohoho yo hoho ho...yo hohoho yo ho ho ho...yo hohoho yo hoho ho yo hohoho yo ho ho ho."_

I lay down and rested in the bath the ringing in my ears still sounding from their song.

_._

_._

**For those that are a little confused as to what that chapter was about All will be revealed in time. However, in answer to your future questions. No, I don't think Zoro is that abusive, and No, that was not real, it was a dream. And No, that isn't going to happen that way in my story, but there is a reason as to why Tashigi acts the way she does, and you will find out why later. **

**I do like Bike's sake. :D Sing along! They should do it more often.**


	18. Baths and Showers

**Chapter 18:**

**My internet was down for a week so I have had chapter 17 and 18 done now for 5 days so I decided to put both of them up today. **

**:D**

**Enjoy. And remember to always lock doors.**

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Hard Lines: Baths and Showers

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.

I was glad to leave the rest of them downstairs. They were drinking way too much. And I do not handle that sort of drinking very well. Two to three pints were usually enough for me and then I call it quits, but today I had six one after the other because of that bastard mocking me and calling me a light weight.

_'And look where that got __you __Tashigi. You are in the loo-room throwing up what you knew you shouldn't have had.'_ I let out a sigh of misery as another gagging acid came up burning my throat. After I had thrown up two more of them I started to feel a lot better. I brushed my teeth, went downstairs and drank a glass of water then a glass of milk. _'So much better. __Time to wash my hair.__'_

I walked back to the ladder just as Robin was stepping into the kitchen with Law. _'__Definitely time to leave.' _I rushed up the ladder as quickly as I could and went into the bathroom and shut the door. I let out a sigh of relief and looked around the spacious room._ '__It's nice to have some space to myself.__'_

.

.

I relaxed into the hot steaming bath. _'It's like all my problems have been taken away.'_

.

.

"Bang!" I suddenly sat up in shock and woke from my sleep in the bath, my eyes shooting open and looked in the direction of the door which I was certain had caused the noise.

"Yo."Zoro stepped in with just a towel around his waist., "Oh you're in here. I'd have thought you'd be in your room now."

"Yes, um no. I'm using the bath" I said dumbfounded .

_'What __time is it__ now?__ How long have I been sleeping like this? The water is almost cold. __Gah! I must have sounded so stupid right then.__'_ I swallowed away my sudden nervousness and turned the hot tap on. "Would you mind getting out now?" I said using the shower head near the bath to finally wash the last of the conditioner out of my hair with my back turned toward him.

"You know, you left to use the bathroom two and a half hours ago. What have you been doing? Are you all right?"

"None of your business!" I scowled. "and don't come any closer."

Zoro shrugged and held out his hands as if he didn't care. "It's okay I don't want to use the bath today, I'm just here to use the shower."

_'What has that got to do with anything?'__..._ "But you can't just..."

He came in and closed the door behind him, and conversationally said. "I know having joined the marines you're probably used to sharing the showers with other men due to your training."

_'What the hell?'_ I shook my head. "Actually, the men and the women are kept apart, we are divided up into groups and we never bathe together."

He shook his head. "So what you get special treatment just because you're a woman, that's not fair is it?" Zoro having his back turned from me, pulled off his towel and hooked it over a peg on the opposite wall right next to my clothes.

_'Oh, my gosh.'_ I felt my jaw drop and was thankful that his back was turned. I looked away and tried to sink into the bath. Thankfully I was running myself a deep one and everything was covered.

_'This is so improper. Oh no! I'm going red. Look away! Why is he in here? Does he act this way with all the other girls on this ship. This is just … too... forward.' _For a brief second I glanced up and saw him standing under the large shower head by the wall, and then ducked back down into the bath.

_'My face is bright red I just know it. What on earth makes him think it's all right to wander into the bathroom when someone else's using it. It's not like I can sit up and go and get my towel or he'll see me.'_

_**'Tell him to get lost!'...** 'But if I do that it'll make me look weak and afraid of him.' … **'But if you don't and continue just gawking at him he will feel like he's won again.' **… 'then I won't look at him. I'll just focus on washing, and pretend he isn't even there.' … **'That won't happen, he's too distracting.**' … 'I can't just get up and walk … butt-naked to the rail that would be so degrading. I'll just have to wait him out.' **… 'Just yell at him to get out.'** … 'I don't want him to think it's a big deal.'_

_'Oh! If I take my glasses off I won't see him.' _With that sudden brain wave I took my glasses off and had the satisfaction that even if I looked at him I wasn't really able to see him. _'Thank goodness with the shampoo in the bath it's made bubbles he can't see anything but my head.'_

"Usopp's getting some disguises ready for us to use tomorrow apparently." Zoro turned on the shower and started talking conversationally. "He seems to think we'll be far to recognizable there."

"Obviously," I said, shaking my head at him. "... news that the strawhats are back from two years of absence and now working alongside a Warlord is fresh news and everyone will be on the look out for you guys."

Zoro turned round and glanced in my direction. I think. "What are you staring at?" He asked, a small bit of humour in his voice.

_'Ah, so that's the game you were __planning __from the start. I've already beaten you to it.' _I shrugged. "A blurry Zoro, I can't see you without my glasses."

"Ah..." He head nodded. "Very decent of you." He turned around and started rubbing the soap into the small mound of green hair at the top of his head.

_'Something about this entire situation is just so different … unusual … __**hot**__. He's naked just a two and a half meters away from me, and he doesn't care_.' I turned my attention back to washing myself, but I couldn't stay focused for very long. The sounds of him scrubbing his arms, head, chest, back, legs … just kept on reminding me of him and his closeness.

_'I really shouldn't do this.' … 'Well, then he shouldn't have come in here while I was having a bath. It's his own fault, beside he wants me to look at him, otherwise he would never have come. I can be naughty this once. It's not like anyone else will know.'_

I put on my glasses and watched him briefly trying to take in as little as possible, but that wasn't successful. '_Oh, God that's good. I do not get this luxury often. Sure men like to show off in general, but damn... he has a right to be proud of himself.'_ I watched the way the muscles in his back rippled as he took a deep breath and sighed. _'Ohhhhwa...I wish he had joined the marines! He's way too good-looking to be a pirate.'_ I swallowed a mouthful appreciation and took my glasses off again. _'He is dangerous.' … '__This … __flirty side of me __is the remnants of the alcohol talking.' … 'Yep. Yep. __Dangerously attractive, aggressive, brave, strong,'... 'I can't think __clearly __anymore.' … 'I wonder h__ow__ we would have interacted if he had been a marine? That would have been a good meeting, __or would it?__' _

I rubbed the back of my neck. _'I'm so sore. Why is my neck always so achy?'_

I heard him turn the shower off for a second, _'What already? He had finished so soon._' I turned back to look at the blurry image of Zoro. "Well, see you." I said waving at him with one hand and rubbing my neck with the other.

He seemed to notice, "You got a sore neck or something? You want me to scrub your back?"

_**'****No!'** … 'Why not... there's nothing wrong with that?' … '**Warning! Warning! Don't let him anywhere near you! Not like this...'**_

"As long as it's just my back. Sure why not." I turned around leaving my back facing him.

_**'What is wrong with you?'**__ … 'Nothing, he offered, I think I could do with someone scrubbing my back.' … __**'You are an idiot. This is going to bring nothing but trouble.' **_

I pulled a lot of the bubbles up infront of me and sat up, he put his hands on my shoulders and started caressing them. "Wow, your muscles are so stiff. It's no wonder you're so irritated all the time."

"Heh!" I pouted and slapped his hand. _'Who was he calling a stiff? His muscles are way stiffer than mine.'_

"Do you have trouble sleeping?" he asked honestly.

_'How did he know that?' _"Yes, I have."

His fingers seemed to push gently into places in my back that seemed far too tight for effective use. He pressed hard on one and it suddenly tightened even more and then with a bit more rubbing in the same place it loosened the cramped muscles. _'Whatever he was doing, it sort of felt nice.'_

"You really need to loosen up." He thumbs started rubbing on the shoulder blades themselves, while his fingers gently rubbed onto the area between the neck and the shoulders.

_'Woah he is right. I had no idea that my muscles were so tight. This feels so good, and sore at the same time.'_

"I know which muscles tend to ache the most." He said as he carried on rubbing the places between my shoulders. "Alright, try to relax because what I'm going to do next might give you a headache okay."

"I can deal with..." I stopped immediately and breathed in another deep breath as his hard fingers brought both pain and pleasure as I tried to relax. '_I was not aware of how stiff my muscles were until now. __Ow. Ow. OW._'

"Where did you learn how to do this?" I was just able to ask over the pain.

"Well, during my two years away from the crew there was this girl. She was bratty and annoying, but she was always interested in what was going on around her. I think she had a crush on me, but she was just too much of a bitch to admit to it. Anyway whenever I got seriously hurt and cut up she would help me in getting better. She would tie up my bandages and stuff…... she helped me out when I got cut across the eye and stopped all the bleeding. Anyway, from time to time she would do this for me as well, and I thought then it was quite relaxing so maybe you'd find it relaxing too."

I felt his knuckles then rub down either side of my spine right into the water to where my hips were, and then he slowly, and gently let his fingers come up pushing against my body at the same time. _'So that girl had done this to him.'_

"So, you didn't do anything with her then?"

"Why are you so curious about that? You seem to ask a lot of questions about the girls' I might or might not have been with."

"No, I'm just slightly interested."

"I know. But about what I wonder."

"Fuhh." I rolled my eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself." I grabbed a handful of bubbles and without looking swung my hand back over my shoulder and got him in the face. "I was just interested in whether or not you ever did anything nice for her in return. She sounds like a kinder person than you're making her out to be."

"Ha! Kind person." Zoro put both of his hands on my shoulders again and started using his thumbs to create circular patterns on the joints of my shoulder blades. "Try saying that after having a negative hollow pass through you for the 80th time. You won't be so happy then."

"What's a negative hollow?" I asked trying to keep my mind focussed on anything apart from how amazingly talented Zoro's fingers were. _'Not succeeding.'_

"It's a ghost that makes you feel really depressed whenever it passes through you. Depressed to the point that you want to die."

"Sounds like a negative hollow has been following me all my life." I laughed.

"What?" Zoro stopped, his hands resting on my shoulders.

"I was just joking." I laughed it off.

"Don't joke about that." Zoro sounded serious. "Life is not to be wasted. I thought you were an ambitious one."

"Oh, I am. I said I was joking right."

"..."

There was nothing but silence for ages after that, and it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. It was peaceful, restful, something that I could really relish in, if I wasn't also in a little bit of pain.

"If you lean back into it it'll be more effective." Zoro spoke up at last. and I sat up straighter leaning into his hands more.

"Ow!" I winced as he pushed down hard on my back again, and I leaned forward away from his hard hands.

"You okay?"

"It's really sore." I said, rubbing my hand across my aching shoulders.

"Hummm. If you turn around and lean onto the side of the bath it will give you something to keep your balance on." he said and stepped into the bath. _'Well he obviously expected me to do it right away.'_

I turned my back toward him quickly so I didn't see to much of him and vis versa and sat on my knees facing towards the doorway.

Small waves were made in the bath by our moments and I leaned against the edge as Zoro had suggested getting support to counteract Zoro's pushes.

"You ready?" Zoro touched either side of my neck.

"Yeah." For the briefest of moments it suddenly dawned on me that I really trusted this man. I have let him hold me by the neck. With one wrong finger moment he could kill easily. I gulped and waited.

He pressed his fingers down and my vision went grey temporarily and then when he let go it went back into colour. He repeated the action over and over again, until that area felt hot. Then he moved on running his hands down my back and rubbing it roughly.

My mouth opened and no sound came out, as my entire body seemed to go numb from the tightening pain that he was creating with the twist of his fingers and then it was gone. And then he found another knot in my back putting his thumbs on it he turned it forty-five degrees and held that for a dozen or so seconds and the pain built up again.

_The heat in my shoulders started building up, and soon I felt my entire back was on fire, __and my entire body felt like a flop of relaxed nothing._

I arched my back as the new wave of pain disappeared and Zoro's hands slowly rubbed over my sore muscles. _'__And now __I am acting like a __cat__ that is getting my back stroked __and scratched__. What the flipping hell is wrong with me.' _

"Is that better?" Zoro asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure." I leaned forward onto the side of the bath and folded my arms infront of me letting my head rest on them. '_Thank you so much... I really needed this.'_

Zoro then got a bar of soap in his hands and rubbed that into my back as well. Picking up a sponge from the side he then finally gave me the scrub down I had actually been promised. '_It's so weird... I feel like a child again being cleaned up and scrubbed down thoroughly by my mother. I had always hated how hard she s__c__rubbed, now … I kind__-__of like it.'_

"Well, I've done." He said clapping his hands. "I think that's good enough." Zoro stood up. '_He stopped? He was __doing so well. I've never felt that relaxed in my life.'_

"Thank you," I turned around to look at him and then found out I couldn't. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him step out of the bath and walk back to the shower. _'__I'm … __So … relaxed … can't … move.'_ I took a deep breath and then stretched my legs out behind me, my arms and chin barely able to keep a hold of the side of the bath. "Wow, when you said scrub your back you really meant it. I don't think anyone has ever given me a more thorough rub down." I sighed again and shut my eyes. '_I must look like a real slump.' _

I heard Zoro turn the shower back on briefly, rinsing himself off of the soap he had put on before hand. "It wasn't thorough." He said.

_'Not thorough, what the hell did he consider to be thorough.' _

"Thorough, would be both front and back." He said clearly and matter-of-factly turning round to look at me again.

_'Zoro I really did not need that piece of information.'_ I felt a pit of warmth grow in my stomach coiling up in response to his words. _**'No body! He's good-looking**__** yes,**__** but it's a no! That's not going to happen not now, not ever. **__**Stop finding him **__**attractive**__!__' … __'__I can't help it.' … __**'No.'**__ … '__Just another look then.'_

With his back turned again I allowed my floppy relaxed arm to reach across the bath and pull up my glasses again, and with the flannel on the side I rubbed them dry and put them back on so I could watch him properly. _'__O__h, I just don't care anymore if what I__'m doing might be __considered __a bit weird, if he didn't want to be looked at then he shouldn't have barged in when I was having a bath.'_

_'His tight muscles, strong legs, tall back and … oh my gosh, why is it that all the rude men have the most attractive bodies. I don't get it. Why am I so attracted to him?'_

"So you've never had a massage before?" Zoro sort-of-asked although I think he probably already knew the answer.

"No."

There was a small comfortable silence again and then he started turning around. _'Quick!_ _Don't let him see your glasses.__'_ I took them off too quickly and accidentally dropped them in the bath. I shut my eyes and lay down on my left arm and pretended to be almost asleep while rubbing my neck. _'This is the most a__w__kward thing ever. __New glasses, please don't be damaged.__'_

"Okay, I'm done." He turned off the shower, walking over to the rail by the door he grabbed his towel putting it onto his face first and then rubbing his hair and head. He then wrapped it around his waist. _'Wasn't he going to dry off the rest of him?__'_

He walked to the door and turned around again. "See you later Tash."

I picked up my glasses from the bath and rubbed them again to get the water off. "Alright, see you soon..." I smile once I put my glasses back on and waved him out as if it was no big deal. _'Keep up appearences... don't let him __win __and leave you looking flustered. I'm not bothered by this at all. Just smile and wave..._.' "...And thanks again for the massage."

He nodded, looking very strong and manly with one hand rubbing the back of his head and the other on his towel, "You're welcome, see you soon, or …" He paused for a moment as if contemplating something. "... you could see me now." He pulled the towel open again and his rather long pride was unveiled. I covered my eyes with my hands and shook my head.

_'I had been so careful at avoiding eye contact with that and now...he has to go and do that.'_

"Oh, my goodness! Roronoa!?" I cried in exasperation, reaching for where I remembered the bar of soap to be and chucked it at where I imagined the door was. "Cover up!"

I heard the sound of laughter coming from him and fabric dropping to the floor and knew the towel must have been completely abandoned, and the sound of hands slapping together. _'He must have caught the bar of soap as well.'_

"Oi!" Zoro called out. "Get ready to catch."

"I'm not playing." I ducked my head behind the Bath's barrier. '_I really need to double check the lock next time. Make sure it's really working. Zoro must never come in here again, not while I'm in the bathroom. __He might be a good... whatever you call it, but __It's too dangerous.__'_

"What do you mean you're not playing?" I looked back up at him. "You started it." He said, and threw it at me. I ducked just in time before it hit the other side of the bath. I took it out and put it on the window sill. I looked back at him. He had got his towel back on and seemed to be waiting for the retaliation.

'_**No.**__**I'm not going to play by his rules any longer.**__**Take a deep breath girl.**__**'**_

**_'__Time to ignore him and just march out. __If he can get away with it why shouldn't I?__'_**

I took a deep breath of courage, and keeping my eyes focused on my towel and not allowing any hint of a smile on my face. I stood up. I saw Zoro's jaw drop open and he gaped at the sight of me, looking me up and down, our gazes accidentally crossed and I caught the unchecked look of lust in his eye. Feeling a bit vulnerable I stepped out of the bath and made my way over to the railings. I took my towel off it and wrapped it around me and turned back to Zoro. "As I said, I'm not playing."

I saw Zoro swallow and look down at the floor. _'Yeah that's right you should be embarrassed.' _"That's an entirely different game." He looked back at the bath and saw where I had put the soap and reaching over grabbed it. "Look alive!" He called out and threw it back at me.

"Hey!" I frowned at him as it came hurtling towards my head. I caught it right infront of my face. "That almost got my new glasses, I told you NO." I threw it back towards the bath.

He caught it before it landed in the water and threw it back at me. I ducked and caught it above where my head had just been. "That does it." I scowled and threw it as hard as I could at his face.

He caught it again and threw it at my stomach. I stepped sideways catching it, and then I threw it back aiming below where the belt usually was, on Zoro however it was the centre of the towel.

And he caught it, but his hands were very slippery that time and it leapt from his finger tips and he carried on trying to grab the bar of soap. I watched him lunging for it, his towel slipping just a bit. _'Oh my god, he even looks hot trying to catch soap.'_

Once he had eventually caught it again he threw it back. I almost caught it on the first throw, but it slipped once and I caught it on the second catch, and kept a hold of it. "That's enough playing now. Zoro. You need to get dressed."

He shook his head again. "That's not how you play." he walked towards me. "You play until someone drops it."

"No. I said no more playing." I reached for the door handle.

"Got you!" He embraced me from behind spun me around, and my mind suddenly went into a giddy daze. _'Beware... dangerous territory... __Holding and spinning … almost naked … __Don't know what to do?'_

"No. Let go!" I pulled against the cage of his strong arms and chest. His grip tightened.

"Give me the soap." he prodded poking me jokingly.

"No. Let go." I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Give it." He reached for my avoiding arms.

"No."

"Come on, give it to me." Zoro grabbed my hand and I threw the soap across the room.

"I dropped it. End of game." I said in a deadpan voice.

His hold on me didn't loosen. "That's not the way you play that game." He whispered into my ear.

I felt my towel drop a bit having loosened itself in the small struggle. I felt his strong arms around me, and all of a sudden I felt weak and very womanly. I stopped struggling and realized just how close he was.

"Tash?" Zoro whispered after a pause that seemed to be crazily long.

"What?" I spoke softly.

"I... I like you. You want to play that other game you and I have tried?" with his right arm still wrapped round my waist, his left one stroked my side.

I could feel his breath on my neck. I breathed in his comforting scent and the situation just felt so right. _'Why does __he__ make me feel __so__ relaxed __and excited at the same time__?'_ I leaned back against him. A small part of me at the very back of my mind had been rendered to nothing but a whisper._ 'Please stop. Please remember.' _and the other part wanted to forget everything that I had ever said about not wanting to have sex. '_**Zoro … just force me down. Just take me now. Do whatever you want.'**_

His arms that had wrapped themselves round me and started roaming my body one rubbing my stomach the other inching it's way up. I could feel his manly pride pressing against me from behind, and against my own better judgement I took one step to the side, spreading my legs apart just a little and pushed back against him.

I could the hear the sound of my quick and short breaths. I sounded nervous. _'But does that really matter?'_

_**'You've won, If you want me, please take me while I still don't care. I just want to feel you right now.'**_ I could feel my heart rate increase as he gripped me tighter in response to my submission. My body started preparing me for what was to come. The pool of tightened muscles in my belly began to loosen and I felt the small space between my legs become hot and wet and it wasn't from the bath water.

_'__I __don't want to hold back anymore.'_ I could only manage a shallow breath. "Zoro, could you give me a thorough rub down?" My voice sounded quiet, and wanting.

"A thorough one, huh?" Zoro spoke in a low voice as his right hand slipped beneath my towel and closed over my left breast. My entire body froze up as my mind accepted the idea. I found his hands with my own and gripped them. I shut my eyes allowing myself to fall into the bliss of his strength.

After a few minutes I caught the sight the my own saliva falling from my mouth as his ministrations made me less and less aware of myself. I wiped my mouth and then I rocked my hips back against him. '_I might __still __be a bit tipsy at the moment, but hell, if I'm going to do this I'm going to do it properly.'_ I slid down his body briefly and using my left hand to hold my own towel on properly, I reached down behind me with my right hand and felt his hard, strong, muscular leg and sliding back up against him I slid my hand under his towel letting it run up him as well until I got to his waist and it fell off. Once I was standing I tilted my head back slightly to the left, "Are those the only two places you know about, or you're too tired to give a real rub down?" I whispered.

Zoro responded by kissing me and readjusting both his hands. He took a hold of both my breasts one in each hand and squeezed them hard. "Muhmmmm!" I hummed into Zoro's mouth. I could barely make a sound he was making me so hot and heavy.

The towel was finally so loose that it fell of its own accord. Zoro taking advantage, took a firm grip of the free breasts and twisted the tips slightly.

"Ahhhhhh!" My legs started shaking and I put my hands over his own again trying to keep myself up.

"What do you want?" He whispered, and sucked my neck again.

"I want … you … now." I said inbetween gasps.

He pushed me forward onto my hands and knees. Spreading my legs apart he gripped my hips with his hands and pulled me towards him. His dull blade was firm and smooth and made my stomach tighten even more as I felt it brush between my legs.

The force of the fall coursed my glasses to tumble from my head. There was a shattering sound and then there was silence. I opened my eyes and looked forward towards the brand new gift that had been given to me by Usopp this afternoon. _'Those were my glasses.'_

"Crap." Zoro spoke into the silence. His hands grazed my stomach and lower back. "Just forget about it for now." He said as he leaned forward and kissed my neck, pulling me back upright to lean against him again.

At those words anger replaced the blissful, dizzying, attraction and I could almost see clearly again. _'Forget? Those glasses had been brilliant.'_

I smacked his hands away. "You broke my glasses!" I looked down at the shattered pieces on the floor in front of me. "Again!" I pushed Zoro back, and shuffled forward to examine the pieces.

"It wasn't just me!" He sighed. Zoro sounded like he was in disbelief as well. "I'm … I'm really sorry."

"How is it that whenever I meet you or one of your crew I end up breaking my glasses. I mean come on! This is ridiculous." I shook my head. '_I can't believe it took me until my glasses broke to snap me back to reality. I can't be screwing around with the enemy no matter how hot he is.' … 'It's this bathroom, it's too steamy. I've been drinking too, I wasn't thinking straight. __This is all Zoro's fault if he had never __challenged me to drinking I'd have never gotten drunk, or if he'd never__ come in here I would never ha__ve__ had this problem.'_

Zoro came over and picked up the frame and handed it to me and continued picking up the rest of the broken pieces. "Damn it." I stood up shook my head. _'__Usopp had tried so hard to make these too.__'_ "Well you've got to be the responsible one and tell Usopp that you are the one that broke them."

"What you want me to tell him that they broke because you and I were both washing at the same time, that we were fighting over a bar of soap, and that …"

"No," I stopped him. "It's okay. I'll tell him." I stepped away from the broken glasses. _'How do I ask him for a new pair? That would be so rude. After he had gone threw all that hassle to make a pair that was right for me.'_

"Your foot's bleeding." Zoro stated. I looked down and saw that it was.

"I must have got some glass in it." I sighed. He put down the pieces he had collected into a pile and pulled me to the edge of the bath and sat me on it. He then got a bucket from the side and poured some cold water in that.

_'He's still naked... Ahhhh. I'm still naked too!'_

I stood up briefly taking a few steps and reaching down for my discarded towel and wrapped it across my middle hiding what had just been seen. He brought back the bucket and frowned at the covering. He refocused on pulling the glass out.

"I take it then that you don't want to continue?" That look crossed his face again.

"No." I frowned feeling bad about loosing control like some sort of horny animal. "I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking." _'It's because I'm just not used to it. I don't get a sight __or a touch __like that everyday.'_

He pushed down hard on the skin on either side of the piece of glass and the piece fell out. He used the water to wash the place where the piece had been and then dropped my foot into the bucket.

He looked from my legs up my body until his eye caught contact with mine "I know what you're like now." He smirked running his hand up my leg. "You're going to keep on saying no until it drives you mad, and then you'll come to me on your knees and beg me to..."

"And then I'll say 'You Win Zoro', and then we can shake hands and go our separate ways because by then the time will be up..." I continued, knocking his hand off.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "You're delusional. It'll be earlier than that. And leaving will be the last thing on your mind."

I shrugged and pulled the towel tighter around me. "I want to get changed Zoro."

"So." He shrugged as well. "I've seen it already so it doesn't matter."

I took in as deep a breath as I could manage in this hot steamy air and spoke in a clear and crisp tone. "Zoro, I would like some space please."

Zoro's gaze took me in again and he nodded. "Hang on and just wait a few moments." He walked to the shower and switched it to cold letting it blast down on him. After 10 seconds he switched it back off and walked back to his towel picking it up again wrapping it around his waist.

He walked over to where the glasses were dropped and he picked up the remaining pieces and walked back over to me and took the frame. "I'll tell Usopp what happened, maybe he and Franky can get you a new pair before we anchor."

"Wait what will you tell him?"

"Don't worry nothing bad. Trust me." He nodded to me once as he opened the door and left.

I sighed again. _'__Thank you __Roronoa__. __Damn, that had been way too close. Zoro, you're way too good. Or maybe I'm just not as __resilient__ as I thought I was. Well, no one has ever really wanted me like this before. __Especially, with the declaring that I'll be the one begging for him.__'_ I shook my head and the rest of my body trying to get the still heightened sex drive out of my system, but that wasn't easy as there was still a small trickle of desire coming down between my legs.

I decided to take a leaf from Zoro's book and walk over to the shower and turned it to cold. The shock of the freezing water almost numbed my mind, and all thoughts about sex and Zoro were blasted from it.

I turned it off allowing my mind to try and think again. _'Today … had just been … another ridiculous … situation … Alcohol and massage... not good together... __I mean too good together … __not __good __with Zoro … __too good … __No more.'_

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Neither Nami nor Robin had come back in yet and there was still the sound of noise coming from outside. _'__I feel so sleepy. It's been a busy __actually a very none busy __day. __Maybe it's the disorganized aspect of today that's making me feel so tired.'_I sighed and relaxed in the bed Robin had put up for me in the girls' room.

I closed my eyes and the image of Zoro standing naked in the doorway came to mind. '_No. rest. Don't think about him.'_

_'Well, I am feeling a lot better now. Whatever Zoro did to my shoulders that time was simply amazing! Everything just feels ten times lighter and smoother. It's like I got a whole new body. I hadn't even done anything and I feel like I've had a solid workout and proper warm down as well.'_

I crossed my left arm behind my head, my right still feeling a little bit too tender. After I had finally cooled down I began to really feel the effects of that rub down.

_'It's his fingers. He has good, strong fingers._'

_'Strong fingers means strong hands … strong hands means strong arms … and then … strong everything.' … 'Zoro = strong.'_

I fell asleep at the memory of his ghost fingers running up and down my back, bringing back freedom to my tired body. And of his hands clenching my breasts holding me in his iron-like grasp.

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**Whoah... I've got a head ache from all this hot thinking. I'm going to need an entire week to recover. **

**Wow Zoro? I never thought you would do that. Not when I started this chapter. Gosh. That's so straight forward and to the point. Makes me feel exhausted. **

**I don't know how many of you have ever had a sport's massage, but I would recommend it to you. My brother learned how to do a sport's massage while working at the gym a few years back and he gave me a shoulder massage and all I can say is that it was both relaxing and painful for the whole ten minutes that he applied it and then I felt like I was floating on air for days afterwards. It's a very powerful thing. I've seen it make grown men cry.**


	19. New Nightmares, New Places, New Plan

**Chapter 19:**

**Dear readers!**

**Well done this story has now reached 100 reviews! Thank you and well done Onepiecelover28 for getting the 100th spot. :D**

**To Onepiecelover28: For chapters 9 and 10**

Indeed on I have worked some stupid hours in order to finish a few chapters, but that's nothing compared to the original writer of One Piece. Oda is know for writing and drawing from dawn until after midnight... so I don't think I'm in the same poorness factor as he is... However he does get paid for his work and I don't so … I guess it's even.

And thank you for maybe thinking it's the best ZoTash fanfic of all time. :D

I do my best.

And I like your ships. They're really good. My absolute favourites for the longest time has been Luffy and Nami, and I actually didn't feel to strongly about Zoro and Tashigi until I started writing about them, and then lets just say the ship set sail with a Cola burst!

**To Scarlet Alapaap: For chapters 17 and 18**

I hope your poor heart can take this chapter. It's not as … I won't ruin it for you go and read it. I'm glad you liked the dream sequence. I wasn't so sure about putting it in because it was so dark and surreal as you said, but I realized I wanted to build up reasons for the two of them to drawn towards, and also to be afraid of their own attraction for one another. In the anime and the manga Zoro has referred to himself as a wild beast and Tashigi did see him cut a woman in half from head to toe. That's got to leave a terrifying impression on you. There's no other way of looking at it. It would forever be embedded into her memory.

**To ThaliaSanchez: For chapter 18**

I totally agree with you. Tashigi shouldn't let Zoro push her around. The fact that she did was primarily because she was tired and drunk... and because he looked so hot, but once her glasses broke well he destroyed another pair of her glasses and that's just not on!

I don't know about making sure Tashigi wins the game... I like it when Zoro wins things, but I'll have to leave that to fate. Or as Zoro says... "Leave it to Luck."

**To Creenella: For chapter 18**

Sorry! For the emotional frustration. And thank you for commenting that my writing skills are good. :D I try. I like to tell the story from their perspectives, and sometimes some people think I'm telling it wrong because it isn't how they think the character is. :D

**To aohal: For chapter 18**

You had to wait six days. Hehehe. :D

**To JakeofTheGrasslands: For chapter 18 **

He is a little weird in this one isn't he. But you must take it into consideration that he has been drinking a lot and well... let's just say you've seen Sanji hit on girls all the time but we've never seen Zoro do it. So I'm basing these chapters off my own experiences with men that are similar.

For example. I had a housemate while at uni who thought all religion was evil and that science and facts could explain everything. He was a lazy bum however and although he had signed up for uni he never went. And when he wasn't working at a local bar, or taking walks along the riverbank, he spent most of his time on the couch which was primarily where he slept because he said the bed was too uncomfortable. However, I did always go to uni. And I'm of the opinion that there will always be some mysterys that can not be solved and that man shouldn't think of himself as the best and most supreme being. So, you could imagine that we didn't always agree with one another, anyway... One night when I had decided to get a good nights sleep and had gone to bed at 11.00pm ready for a 7:00am start I was woken up by clanging and banging in the house at 4:00 in the morning. I tried to ignor it but it was impossible. And then I heard a banging on my door and my housemate was there fumbling over his words asking me to help his friend that felt really sick, so I got up and made her a hot water bottle and got her out a spare duvet. I didn't think that much of it and just went back to bed. But then he came back up and banged on the door again. I told him to come in and he did. I got up out of bed to talk to him and just pulled me into a hug and said over and over. "You're such a nice girl. You're such a nice girl. You aren't appreciated enough."

I didn't really know what to say to that because he never hugged me that just wasn't his thing, and I could smell the alcohol on him so I know he wasn't really being himself. So I just patted his back and said. "It's okay. There there." and then I took him back to his bedroom and tucked him in.

Now that I think about it. I was like the mother of the student house... That role sucks by the way. It's way to exhausting.

**To Ability King KK: chapter 17**

Robin was out of character, but she often is. Oda often writes her out of character. Do you really think that Robin after having spent years away with the Rebel army would actually allow little people to be cut down and killed just so that they and Usopp could give their shot at fame and glory. Hell no! She should have picked up a table with her hands and knocked that little girl senseless. Robin is way to underpowered. Well, she isn't but she doesn't use it effectively or independently anymore, she always gets saved by Zoro or some other guy, which I don't like. I mean... she was a warlord's chosen second in command! Give her something awesome and devilish to do Oda! I like to write her in a way that she was teasing Tashigi and complimenting Nami, she does compliment Nami a lot. And Nami loves it.

**To deant33: chapter 16**

She can't join the crew... She just can't. I'm sorry, but remember she's a marine. A Captain of the marines. She has a duty to uphold.

**To Tashigi-chan: chapter 17**

You are totally right. And that is one of the reasons why I'm wring this story. So that Tashigi will see how different Zoro is from what she expects him to be.

**I hope I have answered all your questions... are whatever. **

**Feel free to write as many reviews as you want. Sorry if i've missed anyone out.**

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_Told From Zoro's perspective._

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Hard Lines: New Nightmare, New Places, New Plan

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I tossed again on the bunk and it swung/rocked as it always did when I moved too much. It didn't seem as if I'd be getting any sleep tonight.

_'__It was all her damn fault, first she comes out in that dress __with her long legs showing,__ and her hair loose, looking like some sort of __ancient, imaginary, __sea goddess, and then __she__ starts showing off with __the__ others playing that game __and __totally ignoring me __... __A__nd then she c__o__me__s__ and s__tart__s__ acting chilled __out __and childish__ with me __a__s if there was nothing going on between us and she was just flirting with a stranger.__'_

I shook my head trying to shake awake the images. _'I'm going to admit the drink competition was my idea, and I was the one that pulled her into my lap, and brushed her leg that time... and barged into __the bathroom to__ take a shower, and __su__ggested the massage and soap fight...'I also flashed her.'_ I grinned remembering the shocked, embarrassed expression on her face. _'She was too innocent to admit to liking it, but she had wanted me._ _I could tell.'_ I imagined her infront of me again, blushing and looking breathless. _'And wait a moment, that hot, flirtatious, demanding edge that she had was totally unexpected. But it really suited her, and I loved the way she took control of the situation. It was simple but effective. __That was hot.__ Def__initely worth the wait.'_ I closed my eye trying to ignore the beginnings of a decent headache, as I tried to get some sleep.

I tossed again. '_No point... __I can't relax at all. All__I'm__ going __is__ thinking about her ass.' _ I took a breath of dry air, and sat up, knocking my head on the bunk above me in the process.

"Gahgh!" I held my head in my hands. _'Is it possible for someone __like her__ to change so much in such a short amount of time, __she seems like a different person, she look__s__ so comfortable __here __and at home__.' _The memory of her black hair, and pure white, wet, skin shining and glimmering in the bathroom light came to mind again. _'__She really did look like … if they did exist in the real world, ... then an angel would be the right word for her... __Tugh!__What the hell is wrong with me. __I think I must have drunk too much... or maybe I haven't drunk enough.__I ha__ve__ got __to get __outside. __I can't think clearly in here.__'_

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I picked up another two mugs of booze and took a deep breath of fresh sea air, and walked to the railing on the stern of the ship. All I could see for miles and miles were the grey waves of the oceans._'__It's quite an awe-striking sight. To think that this vast ocean still hasn't been mapped. I'm surprised that people have even been able to map it at all.' _I looked out and felt myself relaxing in the breeze and drinking down the remains of what I had with me.

_'__I __can't believe I__ was __so __close to convincing her to change her mind about __it__ a few hours ago. Maybe another opportunity like that will present itself. __Doubt it, but you never know.__'_

I knelt down and sat with my back against the side of the ship and pulled my swords up into my lap. I closed my eye and focused on the sounds of the waves hitting the sides and the gentle rocking back and forth as the ship went forward in the stormless sea.

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**The dream**

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'_Nothing __was__ as it seemed in this place I keep on seeing things that aren't real. Like indoor blizzards, and falling suns outside instead of rain, and rusty swords that you need to throw away if they get shiny just the once. I know this doesn't seem very logical but right now, __right here,__ it seems to make perfect sense. _

_'What a weird dream place.' I walked about for a while and got lost in the huge black halls._

"_Zoro!" I looked into the distance and down the tunnel infront of me and saw a figure of the someone that had called out to me. And that was another thing in this place it seemed that distance created light and the further away you were to something the clearer it seemed to be. _

_I walked up to the person that called to me and …., no. It was a child. _

_'No... this isn't possible.' I shook my head and closed my eye before looking again. A girl had sat down on a stone seat with a sword placed in between her legs. She wore a white top and blue shorts, and her forehead was covered with sweat as if she had just finished her workout._

"_Kuina? Your... you're dead." I spoke into the light._

_There she was, just the way I remembered her, like the day she died. She smiled at me and raised her own sword above her head. 'Wado?' I looked back down at my waist. Only two swords were on my hip._

"_Kuina, I don't understand, how are you here?" I hurried towards her, but when I was within two feet away she vanished. "Kuina?!" I spun around looking for her. "Kuina!?"_

"_Over here." and again I heard her laughter. It had a mocking tone to it, the sort that I had forgotten she had. And I saw her high above me on a black hexagon pillar that seemed to be forty feet high._

"_Wait. I want to talk to you." I climbed after her._

"_What about? My sword?" she waved it around in the air. "This sword has been passed on from father to son in my family for generations. What makes you believe you can have it?" She threw it up in the air and it spun several times before it came back down and she caught it. She jumped off the pillar and slid down a metal slope that appeared out of nowhere vanishing off into another place. I jumped down after her determined to keep up._

_I saw her again and tried to answer her question. "Well...I... Sensei... I mean your father gave it to me because I asked him to. I thought you were dead." I ran after her. 'I still don't understand, why am I dreaming of Kuina now?'_

"_My father! Ha!" She threw the blade up in the air again and this time caught it on her index finger. It seemed to have landed in a perfect balance and had neither cut her finger or tilted at all from that position. Her eyes were fixated on the blade. "I have no father any more." She glared back at me as if I was to blame. "You saw to that."_

_I frowned at her accusation. "What do you mean!?" I climbed up another wall and landed beside her._

"_He never wanted a daughter." S__he walked passed a black mirror __and looked into it as if by doing so it would lead her to wherever she needed to go next, but__ then she screamed. __Her image shook in place and then __right before my eyes__ she vanished again. _

_'That was another thing all reflected surfaces in this place were black as if no light could reach into them, as if they were no longer mirrors but portals to another place.'_

_I ran up to the black mirror hoping to find the cause of the scream and bring Kuina back. __'__W__hat had made her so afraid?'_ I looked into the mirror and I saw darkness, but inside that darkness stood a lonely figure of someone else I knew.

"Tashigi?" She stirred a bit in the mirror and_ nodded her long hair billowing out as if __she __were underwater.. _I reached out to touch the mirror and was shocked when I found that my hand could pass through it. I reached in further until I could take a firm hold of Tashigi's hand, and then pulled her out.

My arm came out wet, as if I had just plunged it into a lake or river, and Tashigi was … naked and wet as well. _'Just the way she looked when stepping out of the bath, except then she was warm to touch, now she feels cold... __Like she had... __just been __drowned.__'_

"Tashigi!" I shook her. "Tash! Are you alright?" I asked her, but she was silent. I took her hand and she suddenly gasped in a breath. As if she had at last remembered how to. But she did nothing, merely just lay still in darkness and seemed to be looking beyond me.

_I leaned down to her and gently kissed her cold lips. 'Okay... This is just a dream. That meant... I could make what I wanted to happen, happen.' _

_The moment I thought of her kissing me back she started doing so with a passion and thirst that made me feel hot. She flipped me over onto my back and climbed on top of me. 'Yes! This was what I wanted. I wanted her thirsty for me.' she started rocking against me and kissing my neck. I leaned backwards enjoying my view of her._

"_I think she wants you." Kuina's voice whispered to me. _

_I sat up pushing Tashigi back a bit and spun around, and saw her sitting behind me. "You're dead. Go haunt someone else."_

"_Don't get so panicky. I just came to watch you." She shrugged._

"_WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S OKAY?!" I glared back at her._

_She shrugged. "This isn't a haunting. This is a dream. You want me here." she seemed to grow from being a child to become a woman right then and there. Except she didn't look much like Tashigi at all. She had strong arms, short, black hair, and hard-looking six pack, and she was dressed from head to toe in black and grey. She looked more like a man that Tashigi ever had, but then again Tashigi had never tried dressing as a man. Kuina however actually looked the part. Her eyes were crisp and dark as if they held many secrets, and they were keen and held an edge of suspicion in them reminded me of … myself. _

"_She's very quiet isn't she?" Kuina said. Looking back down at the woman in my arms._

"_Yeah, so. That doesn't matter." I turned Tashigi over again and leaned on top of her kissing her lips again. I wasn't sure what sort of dream this was but at the moment I wanted Kuina to leave it, but my thought pattern must be jumbled because that didn't happen. When I kissed Tashigi's cheeks, they were warm and wet, as if she had been crying. 'that wasn't likely, I can't see any tears in her eyes. What is going on here? And why isn't Tashigi talking?'_

_Kuina tapping her feet suddenly clapped and stepped forward. "Why don't we start a game, the first person to make her talk or cry out is the winner."_

_I looked back at her in annoyance and then in disgust. "No, I'm not sharing her with anyone."_

"_She doesn't just want you, you know. She just wants to feel loved." Kuina walked over to us and pulled Tashigi away from me and hugged her from behind, and then tilting Tashigi's head back she kissed her roughly. My mouth dropped open in surprise. _

_I was watching Kuina and Tashigi for a few seconds before I actually realized that I found it a major turn on. 'What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't find watching one woman overpower another woman so attractive.'_

_'No. I want to be the centre of attention.' I pulled Tashigi back away from Kuina and I ran my hands up her legs and spread them apart and she looked back at me in uncanny silence. I paused for a few seconds and just got caught up in her eyes. 'What is she trying to say? I don't understand? Why can't she speak?'_

"_Aren't you in control Zoro?" Kuina laughed. "Women are weaker remember. She wants you to take control. So take control." _

_I took a hold of her hips and pushed myself into her, and she screamed. I felt something tear in her and I felt a heat wave of satisfaction that I was the first man she had ever had. She felt really good and tight. Tashigi's eyes were wide with shock and wonder as she stared at me. _

_'I'm going to do it. I'm going to do this.' I started slow at fist, and then gave her a few very quick thrusts, then followed by slow or shallow. I heard Tashigi give out a gasp and cries. 'So, she does have a voice.' And she tried pulling me closer to her. 'Oh god, she's so hot.' _

"_I'm going to make you scream my name." I whispered into her ear. _

"_Harder!" I heard Kuina say. "Harder! I don't think she can even feel you yet. You're doing a really bad job of it."_

_Spurred on by Kuina's provocative words I became more violent, fast, and forceful and surrendered myself to my own pleasures. I pulled Tashigi up close to my chest and carried on sliding in and out of her. After one hard thrust I had pushed so hard that I could feel the other end of her womb. Tashigi groaned then and I paused for a moment before continuing. _

_Kuina sat infront of the both of us and as if she was the voice of Tashigi she started moaning. "Yes. Yes. Yes!" She started touching herself as I carried on having sex, and I found myself unable to look away from her._

_The friction and my speed built up my sexual drive quickly and then I released into Tashigi. It was an amazing feeling._

_To my surprise before I could look back down at Tashigi, Kuina reached out and grabbed me. She pulled me into a kiss and slid her hands up and down my back. She used her tongue a lot as well and it became one hell of a good kiss and when she pulled back I found myself following her lips._

"_Focus on enjoying what is right in front of you first." She got behind Tashigi and started kissing and licking her neck again. "you like that don't you woman." _

_Seeing her do that again to Tashigi turned me on again. But not for Tashigi, Kuina was the one that suddenly looked attractive. For some reason Tashigi's face had blurred, almost disappeared into the darkness. Kuina was the one that held my eye. She looked deeply into my eyes and spread her legs touching herself while kissing Tashigi. "Do you only want her Zoro?"_

"_No, I want you too." I grabbed Kuina and pulled her underneath me. _

"_Of course you do." She laughed and spread her legs outwards but not before crawling on top of Tashigi and squeezing her breasts. She then lay down on top her and started snogging her. My mind went foggy as I watched the two and I got onto Kuina and slid in between her legs. My mind became animalistic and I pounded into Kuina ruthlessly for what felt like ages. _

_'So hot. So hot!' I heard both women moaning beneath me and I came into her. After that I pulled out and turned Kuina over onto her back and looked down at the two comparing them. Tashigi was blushing hard and looked terrified of being in this position, covering up her exposed chest, while Kuina had one of her hands behind her head and the other she was using to touch the naïve and shy Tashigi. _

"_Which one of us do you like better Zoro?" Kuina asked nudging me with her toes. _

_I put my hands on bellies of both women and let my fingers ride upwards until the slid through the valley of their chests. 'I want both. They're both so beautiful. For different reasons.' _

_Tashigi suddenly stood up, and shaking off my hand, run away as fast as she could. Kuina who seemed to have predicted that she would do that grabbed her by the arm, tripping her up with her own feet she knocked her to the ground. She slapped her face and climbed on top of her again. "You don't go until Zoro and I have done with you."_

"_Don't be so hard on her!" I told Kuina off._

_She turned back to me. "You want to see me make love to her don't you?" but then she raised her eyebrow, "or do you want us both to do her?"_

"_Lie down." I said to her instead. And she did. I turned them over so that Kuina was on her back and Tashigi was facing down on top of her and I sank into my marine woman again. _

"_Zoro?" Tashigi whispered, but that was all I heard as Kuina was being louder and Tash only seemed to produce whispers and gasps. _

_I pounded into her repeatedly until she gave a small scream and I knew that she had finally had her own release. I pulled out of her and rolled her onto her back again and saw that Tashigi was crying. 'Wait, why was she crying? Hadn't she wanted it too? Why is she crying.' _

_She stood up on shaky feet and I reached out for her and she winced and pulled away from my grasp. 'What was wrong? Had I hurt her?' _

_It was then that I noticed that Tashigi was standing in a pool of her own blood. 'Where had all that blood come from? It hadn't been there before.'_

_She back away from us tears were streaming down her face again. "Stop treating me like I'm worthless! I'm not."_

"_NO. Of course you're not Tashigi." I insisted. 'I had never called her worthless before. What was she going on about?'_

"_I'm not empty. I'm not an empty child, I'm not worthless. I'm not. I'm not a replacement!" she held her head in her hands and wept. And all the satisfaction that I thought I had got from this experience vanished at her grief. _

_I felt a cold chill blow into the room then and a harsh light started shining. It revealed all the cuts and bruises that had been inflicted on her, and she began to look really tired and sad, so sad._

"_Who am I? Am I not Tashigi?" She looked up at me with those dark brown eyes full of pain and suffering. Pain and suffering that I didn't think she had yet. "I don't know anymore. I am not. What do you mean? I am!" She held her head in her hands and stumbled backwards. 'Was she going insane?' _

"_Tash, what are you talking about?" I reached out my hand for her again._

_Kuina put her hand on her shoulder. "Of course you are a replacement Tashigi. Guess who Zoro fell in love with first?" She pointed at herself. "You just look like me. That's the only reason he likes you at all."_

"_THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I yelled back at her but for some reason they both ignored me. _

_I shook my head in denial. 'Is it? I don't think so. But what if it is?'_

_Kuina carried on talking. "Zoro has always been weak, and to make up for his weaknesses he now has to try and be twice as better as his opponents. And that includes twice no three times the amount of swords. It makes sense that he would want twice the amount of women."_

"_Stop it Kuina!" I stepped forward to grab her but she was too quick and took a hold of Tashigi instead, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her away from me as if she was protecting her from me, but her words were poison. 'Why is Kuina talking like this?' _

"_You..." Kuina whispered into Tashigi's ear. "You were just put here to test his love for me. Now your job is done. You are free to go." She patted Tashigi on the head. "Disappear girl, no one will remember you from this time. Don't worry, you shalln't be missed."_

"_**NO!"** I tried to step forward but the light in the hallway seemed to be more like a solid barrier. I saw Tashigi walking away and an edge appeared and a golden coloured haze formed and fell out like a path before her. _

_She sighed. "I wish I had been born a bird, and could fly away." she dipped her fingers into the golden surface that coated the exit. "I haven't made any difference at all. I might as well have never existed." she sank to her knees. She looked back at me with lifeless eyes. "Do you want to exchange me Zoro?" _

"_**What?!" **'I don't understand!'_

"_Do you want to exchange me for her?" Tashigi whispered pointing back at Kuina._

"_**NO!"** I yelled. I reached out to touch her again, and this time I was able to move, but as I reached for her, she became empty, and my hand passed through a mirror-like reflection of her._

"_I Am just the shadow." she sighed, noticing how my hand hadn't connected. "I should have known. Just the echo of your past?" Tashigi looked confused again. "Do I just exist to die?" She held up her sword, Shigure, that had suddenly appeared in her hand. "Maybe I was never here. Maybe I never existed." _

_'This can't be real. … Well it's not real. Why is this happening?' **"TASHIGI! ****You are real!****! ****Don't ignore me!****" **I yelled at her. _

_Her face seemed to be disappearing slowly in the mist. She sighed. "I'm so lonely." _

_Kuina shook her head again. "Stupid woman. No one cares. And Zoro doesn't need you." she waved a hand at the opening and it released. _

_Tashigi nodded and closed her eyes. A sudden gust of wind blew in the door. Autumn leaves gushed through the door and thousands of them stuck to walls that suddenly appeared, but when the wind had stopped I couldn't see Tashigi anymore._

"_Tash!" I looked around but she was nowhere. "Tash!"_

_It started to rain indoors/outside I didn't know where I was anymore. 'What had just happened? Where had she gone?'_

"_Well. I've saved you the trouble of telling her that you're not going to be with her anymore. She was too weak to be with you anyway." Kuina shrugged her broad shoulders. It was the first time I noticed just how much crueller she appeared._

_'Tashigi...she wasn't too weak. She was different. We all must balance each others' weaknesses and strengths. That's what I've found from being a part of Luffy's crew. She had a dream. Something that she wanted to accomplish more than anything else, and as long as she didn't steal my swords out from under me... I want her to continue her quest. She should. And what damned reason did Kuina have to hate Tashigi anyway. It made no sense!'_

_Kuina smiled back at me. "So why don't you admit it Zoro. You swore to me that you'd become the world's greatest swordsman. You have spilt your blood for that goal, you have killed for it, you have travelled miles for it, and you've allowed yourself to be humiliated for it, am I not the most important person in your life."_

_I frowned a bit at those words. "She … she was not Tashigi. She always talks, and she never gives up that easily. And You, ... are not Kuina! She would never say that! I don't know who you are, but you are not her." I turned my back on her. "And no, you are not the most important person. If there is one goal that I will see done before my own it is Luffy's." I looked back at her. "He is the man who will become the king of the pirates."_

_She laughed. "What a foolish statement, and what stupid dream." She looked down at my boots, and it was then that I noticed I was fully clothed again. "Is he not the one, that you made swear to you he would be held accountable if you could not achieve you goal. He can not do anything that would make you go against your becoming the best swordsman." She spun Wado Ichimonji around in her hand and stared back at me with a sharp glare. "If he does then he must commit seppuku, or you will kill him yourself."_

"_This is not your business." I answered her. I could hear bitterness and anger in my voice. 'when will I wake up? I need to wake up.' I tried thinking to myself to wake up, but I seemed to be stuck in a swirling mist of memory and dreams._

"_You have already died for him once. Why not bring up this promise to his attention again?"_

"_I didn't die." I glared back at her. _

_She grinned and approached me like the devil after a soul. "Are you sure...?"_

"_I shall not die. Not yet."_

"_Whoever blocks your way will die, won't they?" Kuina held up a different sword that had a green hilt but it was one I knew all too well from seeing it in action enough times. _

_'Tashigi's sword Shigure...'_

"_If this one gets in your way what will you do?" she threw it up in the air and as it came down she raised another weapon in her hands brought it up to meet it. The falling Kantana shattered into thousands of pieces falling about us littering the floor with its tiny pieces of shiny metal, and glittering in the light._

_I couldn't say anything. 'She was right. Tashigi was always getting in the way. Whenever she was around she was always trying to stop me from doing something that I wanted or needed to do. Was that wrong, or right, or was it just a coincidence?'_

"_Why didn't you just let her own pride be the death of her? She should be dead by now. You know it. Why do you allow her to live? Why do you fight for her survival?"_

"_It's because … she does … remind me of you. What you could have been like if you lived, if you had survived, and if you had grown up." I looked back up at her, and the look of triumph was in her eyes. _

"_As I said... she is just a replacement. Simply a shadow to my name."_

"_NO! I DO NOT SEE HER THAT WAY." she carried on laughing as if my words were nothing. "I am going to beat you Kuina!" I growled at her. "Tashigi is not you!"_

"_Ha! Beat Me!" she grinned that grin of determination and willpower that I knew all to well myself. "That day will never come." Her face became shrouded in darkness and it slowly started disappearing from sight. A new sword was transfixed to her hand and Wado appeared back in mine. Her sword was black, and I saw it was cracked, but not as if it was broken but more like it a living weapon and was bleeding. _

"_Behold the power I possess. No one shall conquer me. Hahahahahahaha!" She held her weapon high as she laughed and I saw blood pouring down her arm as if the sword itself was releasing the blood of all the enemies that it had cut down at once._

_I looked to my own swords and saw that Wado and Shusui were where they were supposed to be, but Kitetsu I couldn't see anywhere. I searched in the darkness for it, all the time hearing a distant sound of Kuina's laughter._

I stepped through a golden wall and into another place and saw Kitetsu embedded firmly into the floor in the middle of the room. It was surrounded by blood and the walls were dripping with it. I stepped forward to pick it up and as I touched the hilt, the blood all around the blade gathered up together as if I was seeing time being reversed, and the blood reformed back into a human body. It became the shape of ….

.

.

"NO!" I woke up with a start and I reached for my weapons. Until I realized where I was and what I didn't need to be fearful of was a damned nightmare. _'It was just a dream.'_

I lay back down breathing hard and wishing I had dreamed of something else anything else. _'__I feel disgusting. Why did I have such a disturbing dream? __Tashigi wasn't herself, why did my subconscious see her like that? __And why was it so creepy? __I'm quite sure that Kuina and Tashigi would both kill me if they knew what I had just imagined them doing just now. __I can't still be thinking of Tashigi __as a replacement of Kuina __like that, can I?'_

I sat back up and shook my head and instantly regretted it. _'Okay so maybe I drank a little much last night...__' I groaned in pain as I tried to remember how many drinks I had. __'Nothing? I can't remember it? Damn, I need to piss. W__hat happened I wonder.'_ I tried to remember what we all did but that only made me frown with pain. The only thing that came back to mind was the dream, and that was something that I wouldn't mind forgetting. I stood up and releaved myself over the side of the boat.

_'Why do I have this nagging sense that I really want to remember something? Did something unusual happen? Okay, backtrack. I drank, talked to Robin, Chopper, Law, Threw that brat at Luffy for kicking a pint over... Sang a bit, drank lots of booze, …' _An image of me kissing Tashigi while she was lying in my lap came to mind, and I shook it away again. '_No way could that have happened. She would have punched me if I had tried doing that to her while I was drunk._

I sat back down and clicked my neck back and forth and looked around the deck. I noticed Tashigi already down on the lawn with Momonosuke and was trying to teach him how to swing. He kept on pushing her away and trying to do it himself, and he wasn't paying attention to anything she was saying and obviously he couldn't keep the swing going.

"Remember when you're going forwards, You need to swing your legs forward and lean backwards when you're in the back swing." she said and sort of tried renacting what she meant standing up. "And to make yourself go backwards faster you should tuck your knees in under the seat and lean forwards."

"That's dumb. I already know how to swing." Momonosuke rolled his eyes and just sat on the swing leaning forwards as if that mere motion was the magic key in making the swing move. He frowned and glared up at her. "This isn't as good a swing as we have back home."

I felt a scowl appear on my face. _'Stupid brat. He's been spoiled rotten by his father. In fact they both seem to be arrogant know-it-alls. I'm not in the mood of that kind of crap this early in the morning.'_

Sanji's voice could be heard coming from above. "Breakfast in ten minutes get ready!" I sighed at the loudness of his voice and rubbed my ears.

_'I definitely need a good breakfast __to wash away that disgusting __after-taste__ that di__sturbing__ dream __left__. I've never had a dream like that before_.' I put my head in my hand and rubbed the sleep away and walked over to the small group on the lawn. "Morning."

Tashigi jumped at the sound of my voice. "Zoro! You're awake."

"Obviously." I scratched the back of my head and looked at her. She was blushing a deep red and looked down at the deck. _'What... was she embarrassed about something?'_

"Oh,... ah … good morning." she corrected her greeting, stuttering a bit.

"Morning." I said again, and I felt a smile spread across my face. _'Why is she stuttering?_ _That's kind of cute.'_

"I … uh …" she breathed out as if she had finally decided to get something off her chest. "I'm sorry about what happened last night, I didn't mean for that to …" She rubbed the back of her neck and then blushed again. "to do that... And I hoped we could just forget about it."

_'Huh? Last night. What? __Was what I pictured this morning real?_' I shrugged as if it didn't really matter. "What aspect of last night are you referring to?"

"You know..." She looked back up at me. "Upstairs. Bathroom. I … I wasn't thinking straight and well..."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. _'She is not making any sense at all.'_

"Huh?" She frowned.

"What?" I asked.

"Well,... You … don't … remember?" Tashigi stuttered looked really uncomfortable.

"Um... my mind's a little hazy. I remember you falling asleep on me outside and I woke up outside this morning." I leaned in towards her keeping my voice down. "Hey? I can't remember. Did we do something weird or something...?"

"No. It was nothing at all." She jumped back and was blushing a deep red.

I frowned at her. '_That __was__ not nothing! Something definitely happened last night that was well worth remembering. Damn! Why did I have so much to drink?'_

She walked speedily away from me and I followed quickly after her. _'What if we actually...'_ I felt my jaw drop open at the unfinished thought, and grabbed her by the arm. "Wait did you and I fuck or s..."

She slapped me. "Don't use such a disgusting word, and no we didn't. You just walked in on me having a bath that's all."

_'I did what?'_ I felt my own cheeks flaming up. _'__W__hat__? __Her being naked and wet, and … __That wasn't a dream?!__'_

_'Wait a minute I can really use this to my advantage?'_ I shook my head, and gave her my best I'm puzzled expression. "I don't remember, Do you want to reinact it so that I can?"

"NO!" She shook her head in horror.

"Why not, if nothing happened?" I said. "Or did you see me naked as well?"

"Phff! I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't see." She insisted. Her cheeks were red and her brown eyes were darting about looking at everything else on deck but me.

"Talking about glasses where have you put your new ones?" I asked, "Did you lose them already?"

She did look at me then and it was a glare. "We two had a fight and you broke them."

"Sorry." I nodded at the comment and then grinned at the slip up of hers. "Were we fighting in the naked?"

Tashigi nervously pulled at her hair and coughed and suddenly became very interested in looking up into the sky. "I … I wonder if we'll get the news today." Her fists were clenched and she kept on running her thumb down the rest of the fingers nervously.

"Probably." I answered. _'Come one remember! Remember!'_ "So... About yesterday. What happened Tashigi? Did we really..."

"Um..Oh! I'm so sorry, but I promised Sanji something. Yeah, something … that. I'll help step up."

"Step up?" I asked. _'Stepping up to what?'_

"No! Uh no! I meant to help 'Up Step' no! Up Set... No, Set Up!" Tashigi's blush went crimson, and she ran to the kitchen with a great speed that I hadn't seen in a little while, to help the morning moron. And she was gone.

I shook my head at her absurd word mix up and then thought about what she said. _'So, I might have seen her naked while she was taking a bath. Well that sort of explains why I dreamed I was fucking her. But why did I imagine Kuina there as well. And why the hell did I forget what happened?'_

"Hey Zoro!" I turned around still feeling frustrated and faced Usopp.

"What?!"

"Where did Tashigi go? I thought I heard her with you a little while ago."

"She went to help with upsetting the set up for breakfast."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." I shrugged.

"Well, could you tell her that I can't fixed those glasses that she broke properly, I can't believe she actually fell down the ladder." He shook his head in mirth, "but she could borrow my test samples." He held up a crooked framed pair of glasses that looked a little bent.

"They look fine." I took them from him.

"I still can't believe you caught her. Were you just waiting for her to fall or something." Usopp nudged my arm. I shrugged and followed after Tashigi making my way into the kitchen. _'well... that's not true I hope. She didn't say she had fallen down any stairs, she said that I broke them not her.'_

"Oi! Tash!" I stepped into the kitchen. '_Where is she? She isn't in here.'_

"Hey! Get out of here!" The cook's leg shot into the space where my head once was thankfully I am a quick dodge.

"Get back to cooking you moron. I'm just looking for Captain four-eyes." I explained holding up the glasses.

"Why!?" He swung his other leg at me trying to kick me away out of the kitchen. "So you can pick on her again. I sent her to go and rest. And those things are way too ugly for her to wear. I shall be her eyes on this island and I'll protect her from all her troubles. AND DON'T CALL HER NAMES!" Sanji growled and flicked his hair back across his face before trying to hit me again.

"I'm going to give them to her so she can see! She doesn't need your crappy womanising protection. She likes protecting herself."

"What! Every beautiful young lady should be shown protection and love! I was called and made by God to be a blessing to all real women! And that it the divine truth."

"What a lot of crap." I grunted and narrowly missed another attack. And another and another. "Cut it out! She has nothing to do with you!"

"Fine! Go fetch your wife." He stopped and grabbed a glass of juice as well. "I want her to taste this amazing new drink I made just for her as well." He held it up to me begrudgingly. "Make yourself useful and just make sure she gets it."

"I was going to do that anyway with or without it. And I don't need your permission to talk to her." I grabbed the drink from him and walked to the ladder. _'She must be upstairs in the library.'_

_'Wait a moment... what had he just called her? …... __**Wife**__ …...?'_ I glared back at him, "And she's not my wife."

Sanji huffed and then smirked as if he knew something that I did not. "You act all tough and aloof, but you have probably imagined what sort of wife you wanted. When you're an old and lonely drunk man she'll be your type right?"

I frowned in puzzlement and scoffed. "I don't intend on getting married." I sneered at his look of glaring disapproval. "To promise to commit you're life to someone like that is serious, and as a man who has already made enough promises, one like that would just hold me back from what I wanted to do."

"I said older," Sanji interrupted. "not tomorrow. Moss-head!"

"Shut up pervy cook! I want to be known as a fighter and as a swordsman all my life. I am not going to stop for anyone. My ambition is to be the world's greatest swordsman. You don't get that sort of title if you're thinking of retirement."

I Started walking up the ladder and I heard a scuffling of footsteps. _'What is she doing now? __Was is listening to that?__'_

"Tashigi?" I popped my head up, putting the glasses and drink to one side, I climbed out the rest of the way and looked around the library. She was lying down on the couch under the window with a book left open across her face. I walked over to her and noticed her chest was rising and falling rather fast for a person that was faining sleep. I lifted up one end of the book. "Faker." I said. And her eyes shot open. Only so she could pull the book down again.

"Don't look at me."

"Why?"

"Because... because." she said as if that explained everything.

"Okay..." I said. I bent down and picked up the glasses and drink and walked back too her. I looked down at her. _'She looks a little too relaxed, she's such a faker, I know she's wide awake, or should be, there's no chance of her falling asleep at this time anyway.'_

She was lying down from one end of the couch to the other. So I lifted up her feet from one end and sat down laying them back onto my lap afterwards and resting my arms over them. She tried shifting her legs a bit obviously feeling a little insecure with the situation. _'Oh well, that's what happens when you hog up the entire couch.'_ I cleared my throat. "...Well, Usopp got you a pair of creepy-looking make shift glasses for you to use on Dressrosa."

"Really?" she raised the book a bit and I handed her the glasses. She examined them and put them over her face. Really, they did suit her personality quite well. They looked as crazy, unstable and as outgoing as she was. "They're quite good." she said as she looked through them.

I grinned. "You look daft."

"It's better than having nothing."

"I guess." I agreed. "Here." I pulled up the drink that I was given to deliver to her. "Another gift, this one from the Catastrophic Cook."

"Wow!" She said and her eyes lit up at the orange and pink colours she could see in the drink. "How did he make this?"

"No idea." I answered truthfully. I just leaned back into the couch and watched her drinking it with delight. Before every sip she took she would close her eyes as if it would help her to savour the taste. After she swallowed she would lick her lips before trying again. I didn't know if she was doing that deliberately, probably not, but she looked really hot doing it, even with the wonky glasses on.

I swallowed. _'I'm feeling really thirsty all of a sudden.'_

"Is it good?" I asked.

"Yeah." She nodded in delight. "Your food never ceases to surprise me. You guys are lucky to have such amazing tastes on a day to day basis."

"I suppose." I nodded. "But it's the women who tend to get the special drinks not the guys."

She frowned. "You mean you haven't tasted it yet?"

"Nope."

She held out the cup. "Here, taste it." I looked her in the eyes and saw a very childish honesty looking back at me. She was just a child that had been taught that sharing her drink with others was good. At the moment she didn't see it as anything else.

"Thank you." I wrapped my hands around the glass and her fingers and tilted it back towards me. It was amazing and really tasty. I did as she had done a few seconds ago and shut my eye and licked my lips and when I put the glass back down I opened my eye again. She wasn't staring at my face like I had been hoping she'd do but she was looking at my hands and the way they both had hers encased. I let her go and she instantly looked up at my face a faint blush still visible on her cheeks.

"You're right," I agreed "It is really good."

There was a calm silence that fell upon us then. It felt comfortable and relaxing. My hands went back to resting gently over the tops of her legs and she sat up drinking the liquid little by little. She felt relaxed enough that she didn't have to move so that was a sign I was doing something right. When I wasn't looking at her face, all I had to focus on were her legs, with them being right there infront of me they were hard to miss. She did have good strong legs, but weak ankles I had noticed.

I relaxed into the couch and breathed deeply. Then as if on autopilot I started taking her shoes off and massaging her ankles. '_She has such tiny feet. It's no wonder she can't stay balanced on them.' _

I looked back at her and she had stopped drinking altogether and was just watching me. Her expression was unreadable as she just stared. I found the fixed eye-contact of hers exciting so I continued. I rubbed her socked up feet pointing them and flexing them and making them go round in circles, then started on her calf muscles rubbing them firmly from over her trousers, and then I found her knees and gave them a few circles and gentle rubs. And finally I slid one hand down a thigh and that was when she sat up properly pulling away from me a little, hugging her knees.

She cleared her throat. "Well... Tell them both thank you for me."

"Tell them yourself." I answered leaning back and pretending that having her order me about wasn't really bothering me at all. _'I__t did bother me. I__ wasn't going to be her messenger boy to Sanji.'_

She frowned a bit and then sighed nodding to what I said. She seemed lost in thought as she stared hard into the marks on the floor. I looked down as well in that direction, while beside her. Nothing of interest was there, but somehow being this close to her was making my senses spike.

I glanced sideways at her and noticed she was rubbing her neck again. '_Again? Was she rubbing her neck before?'_

"How is your shoulder doing now?"

She looked back at me. "Much better thankyou, and so is my neck."

A vision came to mind of me standing above her in the bath rubbing her neck and shoulders. I felt my face go red. "Do … do you want me to rub it for you?"

She shook her head and smiled in gratitude. "No. I'm good thanks."

"Well..." I breathed out a sigh. "Time to get ready to go I suppose." I looked at her. "Dressrosa's up next. You looking forward to it?"

My voice was catching in my throat and My palms were itching. _'__I'm feeling so nervous all of a sudden. __Do I do this or don't I...? I'll do it.' _

She rolled her eyes and puffed out a frustrated sigh. "If my superiors find out about me helping out pirates to take down a warlord. My name will be dragged through the mud."

"But..." I stood up and reaching back down pulled up her as well. "... didn't you already do that in Alabasta?"

She raised her eyebrows. Her lips forming into a pout. "I suppose."

"So what's the problem Marine?" She didn't answer and just kept on looking down at the floor. I lifted her head up with my hand and her brown eyes met mine. She looked so alive, so brimming with thoughts, worries, and calculations. Her face was so interesting and beautiful. I ran my thumb over her bottom lip.

"Zoro?!" She exclaimed in surprise jumping a bit and stepping backwards.

"So..." I grinned, "...give me a Kiss for luck."

"Huh? What? Why?"

While she was still confused I wrapped my left arm around her waist to support her, and my right hand to hold her head gently and firmly as I leaned into kissing her.

She gasped when we crashed together and I used that moment to gently suck on her bottom lip. She broke it off pretty fast however and stumbled back only to find that my arms were keeping her from falling backwards as she might have done.

Her eyes were wide and I felt a small joy at having caused her enjoyment over such an unexpected gift. _'Well, I hope she enjoyed it.'_

I decided to answer her questions. "Huh? Well it's a surprise." I grinned and touched her nose with mine. "What? Well, a kiss is a kiss that doesn't need an explanation." I ran my left hand up her back until it had a firm hold of her left shoulder and I pulled her closer. "Why?" I asked the question as if I was also really confused at first then I leaned in and whispered. "Why not... give me a kiss for luck? You do want to, don't you?"

"I don't think so." Her eyes looked away from mine again.

"Why not?" I asked teasing her a bit and rocking her towards me a bit.

She looked up at me then. "I'm not … a very lucky person so I wouldn't suggest it."

I grinned. _'That was the worst excuse not to give a kiss that I had ever heard of.'_ "Ha ha ha." I laughed a bit and leaned down to whisper in her left ear. "Let me kiss you the way I want to for a few minutes, and your luck is bound to change. That's a guaranty."

I heard her take in another shaky breath. I kissed her neck softly and broke contact with her skin to ask her again. "So, what's your answer?" I could feel the pounding of her heart beating again my chest, and felt the effect that my closeness was having on her as her hands had begun their small tremor of nervousness while still holding onto my clothes.

She took a small breath. "You say, 'it's just a kiss.'"

"Yeah. For a few minutes." I agreed.

"For Luck?" She questioned, looking up at me with that nervous expression in her eyes.

"Mh... Is that okay?"

"Do I have your word that you won't try anything else?"

I looked into her honest eyes and nodded. "Yeah, we'll be standing here, no moving, no lying down, just different ways of kissing." _'There's no way I'll be wanting to break a promise to that.'_

She relaxed against me and held onto my tunic with a sure grip as if I might let her fall. "Ah... sure." She said.

Leaning in, I kissed her again gently and softly on her neck, and pulled back up to look at her face. Her lips beckoned me this time and I slid my own onto them rubbing and sucking them between my own. She let out a satisfied gasp and sigh at my movements and closed her eyes. _'We seemed to work so well together._ _It's like I already know how she likes it.' _

I sucked her bottom lip again and She opened her eyes, and looked at me. "That one felt weird."

"Weird? How?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well," she lifted her fingers to her lips. "You were just sucking on a lip. Is that really classified as a kiss?"

I nodded. "I think so. You try and do the same, and see how weird it feels." I wrapped both arms around her back and nodded encouragement and she leaned forward. When Her lips touched she was being so light and delicate that I could barely feel them, until she tried sucking my bottom lip and then all of a sudden a surge of sexual desire pumped into me.

_'Where the hell did this come from?'_ I started sucking her back. She tasted of the juice and of herself which I wasn't sure how to describe as a taste. I rocked her against my hips. _'I might have said just kissing, but as long as I don't do anything else it'll be fine.'_

I pulled away from her kiss and went for her neck again, but this time on her right side near her wounded shoulder. I pulled the shirt away from her neck a bit and exposed her wound. It had healed up a lot in the past couple of days. The pads and medicines Chopper had been treating her with had worked some wonders. I stuck my tongue out and I licked her there instead of kissing her and was rewarded with a shudder from Tashigi. _'That's right shudder, quake, let me show you what you're missing.'_

I felt that I had found a new confidence to my kissing ability and sucked on a small patch of skin on her neck where I could feel her blood pumping. My hands ran up and down her back again just getting a feel for the shape of her. I let go of her neck and kissed her lips again. As I broke away I caught sight of her open and wanting mouth. I leaned in for another.

"Wait." she looked back up at me sounding a little breathless. "Isn't this too much?"

"I don't think we've done enough of this yet." I shook my head trying to sound in control and knowledgeable about whatever it was we were trying to do. _'I've had sex at random moments, with strangers off and again, but I've never actually just kissed someone for kissing sake. I'm totally learning something new here. It feels really different.'_

Her eyes widened at my words. She asked. "Not done enough?"

I shook my head. "No, I think you deserve being kissed this way until Breakfast." I let my hand slide down over her backside as I pulled her tightly to me. "I'm going to kiss you until you can't stand."

I kissed her again repeatedly, but then she pulled away for a brief moment and with wide eyes looked down at the way I was moving our hips together. She timidly copied where I had put my hands on her and did the same for me and moved her hips against mine. She gasped at the feelings her own movements made, and I became stiff.

If I hadn't been turned on before I certainly was now. I kissed her again except it wasn't just a kiss. It a hot and wet storm of something. I grabbed fistfuls of her hair and clothing and I was kissing her without remorse or question.

Without warning she decided to follow my previous movements and kissed my neck. I found myself shutting my own eye so I could feel what she was doing more. With one hand holding her ass and the other caressing her shoulders I felt really hot and alive. Following again my previous ministrations on her she licked my neck up to my ear

"Ahhh!" I pulled away and rubbed my ear and much to my embarrassment. Tashigi was grinning.

"You have a weak spot." She jeered.

"Tughf!" I frowned. "That's not it I just don't like my ear being kissed. It's weird, who kisses people's ears."

What I had said didn't seem to dishearten Tashigi. "You have a weak spot. You have a weak spot." she sung out and teased, lifting up her hand to tickle my ears and flick my earings.

"Cut it out!" I leaned back, but I had to admit that I liked the way she did it.

"Come on let me kiss it, I promise I'll be gentle." Her hands slid down my sides and onto my waist.

'_Where the hell had this person come from? What had given her such a boost in confidence in this situation?_' I suddenly had a flashback of Tashigi sliding her hand up my bare leg in the bathroom and swallowed a mouthful of lust. When I had made no move to giving her what she wanted, she jumped up onto my hips and straddled me leaning into me she kissed my ear with the earings and I winced as I felt a resounding echo of the kiss in my ear, and I leaned back and dropped to the couch pulling her away from my ears.

"Ahhh! Stop... You are such a weirdo, Tashigi!" I rubbed it again.

She laughed, still sitting on my hips she leaned in again, and then added in a lower voice, "And you like it don't you, Pirate."

The heat in the room turned up a notch and my heart pounded loudly in my chest. "You have no idea what I like." I said back. _'Since when had she become the sex goddess.'_

"I bet you've wanted the marines to capture you for a while now." She wrapped her legs around my back and started rocking back and forth on my lap. "I bet you want to teach me how to wield your sword."

I pulled her close and carried on kissing her. My hands slid up her back and into her hair as I opened my mouth and started sucking and stroking her tongue with my own. She gasped and pulled back shocked at the experience and the string of saliva that joined our mouths together. Wiping it off her lips with her sleeve she sat there gasping for a few seconds before swallowing.

_'Wow! I didn't know I had wanted to kiss her this badly. I hadn't meant to do anything like that... But that was flipping hard core.'_

"Sorry about that." I wiped my mouth. "My tongue slipped out."

Then all of a sudden her words struck me. _'Wait a moment 'wield your sword?' did she mean she was up for sex right now?'_

"Woah." she breathed out. "And so … what?" She stuttered out a few words. "That... that was your trick for luck?" she swallowed.

I nodded. "Yep." I felt frustrated... _'Right now everything about this situation could easily turn into something else.'_ I rubbed my neck. "Tash,... do you want to do something else?"

She was wide eyed. "What could that be?"

_'No way!_ _Don't you dare start acting all innocent after doing something like that.'_

"You know what I mean." I rested my hands on her hips again.

"BREAKFAST TIME!" Came the yell from downstairs.

She smirked her own sort of smirk that I hadn't seen before, and shook her head. "Did you know. It's bad luck to break a promise." She tutted her tongue and waved a finger at me as if telling me off. She leaned back and almost shuffled off me when I stood up causing her to fall onto the floor.

_'Crap. Had she been testing me?_' "If you're a promise keeper then why are you so unlucky then?" I questioned her offering her my hand to help her back up.

She pouted again and accepted it. "Just born unlucky I suppose."

"Not after that kiss you're not." I grinned. '_She flipping loved that kiss. I can tell.' _

"Well, time for breakfast!" She smiled. It was as if the moment of insanity had passed her by and she was back to being herself and she blushed hard again and stumbled to the ladder picking up her glass from Sanji on the way there. I followed her and allowed her to go down first.

"And remember, don't let go of the hand rails until you've reached the bottom." I called down after her.

"Shut up Roronoa!" She glared back up at me. _'She looks and sounds so hot when she saying my name like that.'_ And whether it was intentional on her part or simply a mistake but I could see right down her shirt between her bra'd up breasts to her belt and legs.

"By the way... You're looking good today Tash." I said, fully intended on poking / fun at her.

She looked back up at me blushing. "Um... thank you." she smiled that honest smile. Pulling her hair over one shoulder she walked away from the ladder with hurried footsteps.

_'Damn she's so … cute? Yeah that's the right word. I can't poke fun at her if she takes it as a compliment... actually I'm glad she did.'_

I climbed down the stairs after her and went into the living space that was the kitchen/dining/sitting area. The smell of fried breakfast made me feel thirsty and hungry. I felt a grin spreading across my face. _'I'm not sure what happened last night, but I think today has started great.'_

"So what's for breakfast?" I asked Sanji coming up to the counter top.

"Nothing for you." He growled.

"What!?"

"You do realize I could hear every word you two were saying right?" he scowled at me.

"That doesn't surprise me. You were probably at the bottom of the stairs listening in." I glared back at him. "Do I detect jealousy?"

"So, did the swordsman's wife enjoy the drink I made for her."

"Yeah, well she did and... Gah. … she's not my wife!" I glared back at him as he walked to the table setting things out for everyone.

"HURRAY! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" Luffy came crashing in through the door on queue and the rest of the strawhat pirates followed in quickly all of them knowing if they didn't come in fast enough there won't be any left over for them later.

"Eat up everyone." Sanji said. "It's going to be a dangerous day."

"YEAH!" Luffy yelled. "THANKS FOR THE FOOD!"

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"Now it's good to take turns in the washing up. So now it's your turn." Sanji scowled down at the grumbling kid.

"Samurai don't wash other peoples dishes." Momonosuke grumbled.

"Kids do as they're told! And no kid on a pirate ship and should never not do any work. Unless they're a young lady!" Hearts filled in his eyes for a brief few seconds looking back at Nami, Tashigi and Robin and then he glared back at Momonosuke. "So get too it!"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Momonosuke cried and running up to Nami hugged her leg. "Sanji's being mean to me."

Law sighed looking absolutely bored and I couldn't blame him. And we both tried to ignore the extra commotion until we actually arrived at the island, and then all hell broke loose.

"I'm going to go with my Father!"

"No. You are going to have to stay here." Sanji pointed.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook started. "Don't worry little one. I'll look after you."

"NO! I'm a samurai's son. I don't fear danger!" He slapped away the others offerings to calm him down.

"Oi kid come here!" I yelled.

"I don't do what you tell me to do! I'm a Samurai son! You're just a pirate."

_'That's it he's crossed the line.'_ I stood up and walked over to him, he stood next to Nami with his arms crossed and feet spread wide. He looked up at me with disinterest so I bent down and looked him in the eye. "You are going to stay on the ship. If you dare to follow us you will die, and if we find that anything is changed for the worse I'll cut off your samurai head and eat it."

Momonosuke's face took on a look of terror and he hid behind Nami's legs and yelled and pointed at me. "Demon!" "Roronoa's a Demon!"

"Zoro!" Nami glared at me. "there was no need to frighten him."

I grinned. "So much for a samurai's son, runs afraid behind a woman when he hears of a cannibal."

"Alright everyone!" Usopp pulled out a bag of disguises for those who were going and dropped them to the deck. "Gather round! Gather round! And pick your costumes!" It held hats, beards, coats, gloves, shoes, glasses … extra.

Luffy leapt in first and picked the oldest looking weird beard I had ever seen.

"Wow." Tashigi's voice sounded from behind me and I saw her still looking at Momonosuke crying on Nami. She muttered in mock-shock. "You're really good at scaring little kids."

"So it seems." I saw a moustauche and lifted it up from the pile putting it under my nose. "What do you think?"

She grinned, and laughed shaking her head. "You look stupid."

"No need to be so rude Marine." I growled back. "What are you going to be wearing?"

"Wearing?" She frowned. "I thought on this island you'd deliver me back to the Marines as they are currently in dock here."

I frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Because I saw the flag of trade for the Marines on a few ships that were heading for the main harbour when we arrived."

"Well..." I frowned. I didn't want to darken Tashigi's mood, but it seemed as if I was going to have to. "...we won't be dropping you off just yet."

"Why?" She asked.

"Tashigi! You should stay on the ship." Sanji came along smiling at her. "This might be quite difficult work."

She scowled at his comment. I could almost hear her own thought patterns that were going through her head. _'Do you think that women can't handle difficult work?_ _You are all such sexist ...'_

"Yeah Tash. You can stay with me and Momonosuke." Nami smiled.

"No. She's coming with us." I said. All eyes turned towards me. "If we run into any marines that are threatening to cause trouble we'll show her as a captive and use her as a hostage again. Simple." I explained in a bored of this conversation already tone of voice.

Law nodded. "Good idea."

Without looking in her direction I could feel the daggers and knives that Tashigi was mentally sending my way. Stabbing me in the back, legs, and head over and over again.

_'I'm sorry Tash, but I did tell Smoker that I'd drop you off two islands away from Punk Hazard.'_ I looked back in her direction and found her looking closed off and aloof again as she often did when she suddenly had that 'I_'m a marine and you're a pirate_' shock epiphany.

I frowned. 'Now is the time to get serious. I can't be fooling around. I really need to think about what this deal needs now. It needs a level head and ambition, now Luffy has the ambition, but not the level head. The negotiations should definitely be handled by Law, but what should we do?'

I looked at Law. "So? What are the teams, where do we go, and what's the plan?"

He nodded at me and pulled out a map and laid it on the deck.

.

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**Okay...**

**Long sigh...**

**Longest chapter ever! I'm so tired. **


	20. Falling for the Enemy

**Chapter ****2****0****:**

**I've just watched 'Strange Magic' written and directed by George Lucas and I've got to say it is a great movie to watch on surround sound, with a beer in one hand good food in the other and a with your own voice box ready to sing along with the madness that follows. :D I loved it. It was like watching Shakespear's midsummer's night dream, but in George Lucas style. So much fun! **

**And last last weekend I watched Antman with my brother in the cinema. It was Brilliant! With a Capital B! Go and see it. **

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Hard Lines: Falling for the Enemy

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"No." Sanji shook his head. "You don't need to help my beautiful Blueberry. Just take a rest on the couch there, or downstairs in the aquarium, or upstairs in the library. You don't need to trouble yourself with work." He smile a large goofy-like smile that I thought he meant to be sweet.

"Okay, if you're sure. Thank you." I walked to the ladder and climbed upstairs into the Library.

_'Anywhere to escape from Zoro at the moment.'_

_'That was the awkward situation I have been in for a long time... In some ways it's more awkward that last night. I have been awake a few hours and already Zoro has woken up. I mean isn't he supposed to be the lazy one and not move until he has too or if he's going to do something for himself.' _

_'I could probably do with a few more minutes rest anyway. __It's a good job Sanji didn't need any help. I __probably__ wouldn't have been very helpful._' I lay down on the sofa bed and grabbed a book and started reading.

_'I can't __concentrate.__ If only I could have had enough __alcohol__ last night in order to __conveniently__ forget exactly what happened. But I can't.' _I dropped the book on my face. And let a long sigh. _'I hardly got a wink of sleep either.__'_ All I could think about was him. And when I tried not to think about him, but the more I thought of not thinking, the more I thought. So I thought it best to think about nothing to stop thinking about not thinking about him, but that didn't work, because thinking about nothing is useless so I starting thinking about Dressrosa and how far or near to it we were and then I thought of how far I was from all the marines, and then back around again to how near he was. It was stupid, and tiresome and utterly exhausting.

'_I really don't know what is wrong with me. He's just one man. He __wasn't__ even a sober man __then__, or __a __respectable man. Is it even normal to think this much about someone who__m__ you disagree with on __so many issues and on__ such a massive scale?__'_

_'I like him a lot...__ Is it a bit too creepy? I don't want to turn into some sort of creepy individual.'_

I rubbed my head's temple again. '_I've got a headache from all this beating about the bush. I've said no to other people before, __and I could just forget about them like that. With a click of a finger I could switch off my attraction to a __guy__ that I __might have __been crushing on, __and it's fine. I have no problems after that,__ so why is Zoro so different. __Is it because__ I have never been in love.' _

_'__**No **__**need to **__**hurry there.**__**Love is**__** a waste of time and gets you into a lot of hassle **__**for just a little bit of reward**__**. Better **__**to be **__**a freer,**__** maybe**__**a little lonely**__**, **__**and **__**to be single **__**than dependent on someone else and trapped into their life**__**. **__**'**_

_'I know, but w__hy do I lose __my sense of propriety and sensibility __with him? Is he using a control haki link on me or something?' …_

**_'__...__'_**

_... "No. I don't think so. But … Damn it! __I__s __th__is what attraction does to you? I've never had it this bad before, not for anyone. __And he isn't even that handsome he hasn't got a pretty face. He scowls so much that he has a really mean looking face, but everything about him just radiates attractiveness.__'_

I heard the sound of the door swing open down the ladder from the kitchen. "Oi! Tash!" I heard Zoro's voice call out.

_'What? He's coming after me already? __I'm not ready for this sort of fight this early in the morning._' I swallowed. _'What d__oes__ he want to talk about?'_

I listened absent-mindedly for a little while to the sounds of a small fight going on between Sanji and Zoro... '_No! I need to keep it formal. It's Black leg, and Roronoa._'

The conversation wasn't all clear and there were times when I could quite tell what was being said. "I'm going to …... She doesn't need your crappy …... protection. She likes protecting herself." I smiled when I heard Zoro no Roronoa say that. I put my hand on Shigure that I had put right next to me. '_Well, I suppose I should be grateful that he at leasts understand__s__ me more than __most men__.'_

"Cut it out!" I heard Zoro yell. "She has nothing to do with you!"

I raised my eyebrows. _'What on earth were they arguing about __now__?'_

"Fine! Go Fetch your wife!"

I felt my cheeks heat up and my mind overboiled for a few seconds. '**What the hell?! Did **_**Sanji **__**just call me**__** Zoro's wife?... No way. **__**Why?!'**_

_'Maybe he really likes me...'_

_'….No. __There's simply no way Zoro could really like me that much that he'd want me to stay. Besides he basically looks down on me all the time, he probably doesn't think I'm worthy of him.'_

_**'Excuse me! What the hell are you doing? Why are you putting yourself down and praising him?!'**_

'_Gah_!' I smack the book into my face again. '_I don't know! I can't think anymore. __Since yesterday __My brain __has been __operating__ at a very pathetic rate. __It was totally fried and needs time to recover__.'_

_**'Better get it unfried before you talk to him again!'**_

_'Yeah, good idea. If I go down while Sanji still has him distracted I can slip out through Chopper's checkup room.' _I walked to the edge of the ladder and put one foot on the first rung.

" ….. you don't get that sort of title if you're thinking about retirement." I heard Zoro's voice come closer and then I saw his shadow at the bottom. I scrabbled back up. _'Damn, he was too quick.'_

_**'Or maybe it's you who's too slow.'**_

_'What should I do?' _

_**'Pretend you're asleep that worked before.'**_

I ran across to the other side of the room and lay on the couch. _'Maybe he'll just come in and take pity on me for being tired and then leave. What if he wants to talk about last night? __**Well then we just won't talk about it.'**_

I heard his footsteps on the rungs, and then the sound of his boots on the wooden floor. "Tashigi?" he called.

I felt really bad about ignoring him, but I really didn't want to talk to him. I need more time away to think things over.

I heard his footsteps walking over and I could feel my entire body tense up. I felt the book lift and a wave of light came over my closed eyes as the sun blocker was lifted.

"Faker." He sounded amused and my eyes shot open. '_Even now after everything I've talked about with myself__he's still far too attractive to be any good for me.' _I closed my eyes again and pulled the book over them.

_'If he carries on looking he's going to see how I'm blushing and make fun of me... He's still staring...'_

"Don't look at me." I muttered.

"Why?"

"Because... because." '_I can't deal with your witty comebacks at the moment. I'm too tired.'_

"Okay." He sounded chilled back and for a moment I thought he would actually leave me in peace but then I felt my legs get lifted. _'Ahhh! What is he doing!?' _He then sat down and put them back over his lap.

There was a bit of a silence going on and I tried to focus on that._** 'He's leaning on my legs. He's leaning on my legs. Why is he doing that? Why am I still here? I should move. I should go downstairs.'**_

_'No. Why not let him hold them he's just letting me rest that's all.'_

_**'You are an idiot that's not what he's doing?'** _

_'He's not doing anything else? See. Just rest.'_

Zoro cleared his throat. "...Well, Usopp got you a pair of creepy-looking make shift glasses for you to use on Dressrosa."

I frown for a second. _'Of course Zoro did say last night that he would sort it out.'_ "Really?" I lifted the book up and took the strange pair of glasses from him and put them on. They had a metal frame that had obviously been made by Usopp himself, and the two glass pieces hadn't been inserted into a perfectly shaped frame, but rather glued to it._ 'Even if they did look bad and even if Zoro didn't remember he could at least keep his promises. __As long as I can see.__'_

I looked at Zoro pushing the glasses further up my nose. The glasses did him a lot of justice and he looked really fit through them. "They're really good." I said clearing my throat a bit as well.

He grinned looking at me. "You look daft."

I pouted. "It's better than having nothing."

"I guess." he agreed. "Here." he pulled up a glass of orange and pink juice and handed it to me. It hadn't been blended together, but rather it had been swirled a few times and then left as it was.

"Wow!"

"Another gift," Zoro explained. "this one from the Catastrophic Cook."

I almost laughed at the phrase. _'Catastrophic cook, that sounds terrifying.'_ I picked off the slice of lemon from the side of the glass and sucked on it. The bitter taste made me feel very awake. I held the glass up observing it. "How did he make this?"

"No idea." He shrugged and slouched back on the couch.

I then took a sip from the glass. It was a heavenly taste. I think I could taste … Mango, strawberry, orange, raspberry, and a hint of pink grapefruit in it and it all had a clean, fresh, icy taste to it. _'Yum!'_

"Is it good?" Zoro interrupted my train of thought.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Your food never ceases to surprise me. You guys are lucky to have such amazing tastes on a day to day basis."

"I suppose." he agreed, and then raised an eyebrow. "But it's the women who tend to get the special drinks not the guys."

I frowned. "You mean you haven't tasted it yet?" _'That's not fare. I hate this sex discrimination. Sanji really shouldn't be so hard on the other guys. Who did he think he was anyway?'_

"Nope." Zoro affirmed shaking his head.

I held out the drink. "Here, taste it."

He looked confused for a moment and then reached for the glass, "Thank you." Zoro's one good eye bore into both of mine and his fingers slipped over my own.

_'What is he doing?'_ I looked from his eyes to his hands and back again. _'__Why … are … his … hands...'_ His hands felt so warm, strong and gentle and they were closed around mine perfectly. '_Perfectly, as if they were meant to...' '__**No! Kill that thought before it surfaces!**__' … 'Why didn't he just take the cup from me?' _

_**'Go... fetch your wife...**_ ' The words came back ringing in my ears.

**'I'm not going to be some Pirate's wife!'** I watched as his hands pulled my own and the glass closer to his lips. _'Would I even do this sort of thing with my husband? __**No!**__It seems a little old fashioned. Why am I even __letting him __do this now?_'

He watched him as he closed his eye and sipped at the drink. It was as if everything had been reduced to slow-motion. His lips brushed over one of my index fingers, and I did nothing to fight it. _'__I think I would like to do this sort of stuff... once I do get married.' __**… 'Which will never happen!**__**Because this guy is a pirate!'**__ … 'Of course, but I think I might like a guy … like Zoro.' _

He lowered the glass down. '_His hands are so warm. How does he keep his fingers so warm? M__ine__ are nearly always cold.' _

"You're right," his voice brought my eyes back to his face. He was smiling. "It is really good."

I nodded and leaned back against the side arm of the couch. _**'What the hell was that?' ... '**__I don't know. __Can I really get so flustered over having my hands held?_' I sipped the drink again from the opposite side to where Zoro drank from.

_'I can't believe it. I have shared a drink with a pirate deliberately and I was the one who initiated it.'_ Zoro laid his arms over my legs again and relaxed back in the silence. I must say having the extra weight on them did feel good. I sighed. 'W_hy do I feel so comfortable with this guy? I shouldn't be feeling so free and relaxed.'_

I focused on my drink, as I had a feeling that Zoro kept on glancing my way. '_**Whatever you do. Don't look at him.'**_ I took another sip of my drink and then stopped when I felt Zoro slide his hands down my legs. _'What is he doing?'_

_**'Kick him!'**_

He pulled my pink boots off my feet and dropped them to the ground and started massaging my feet pushing them up and to the side, around in circles and pointing them. He looked back at me right then and his eye caught mine. I focused on trying to feel nothing, as if the ministrations that Zoro was applying to my legs meant nothing to me... '_But it does feel good.__'_

His hands slid further up my legs. _'It's as if he's playing a game of chicken.'_

He gently rubbed my legs with his palms and knuckles running them up and down and then he rubbed my knee caps and gave them a few circles and gentle rubs. All the while keeping his eye on mine. I watched almost transfixed until he ran a hand down the inside of my leg.

I sat up and cleared my throat. "Well... Tell them both thank you for me."

"Tell them yourself." He answered back.

Time seemed to pass slowly and Zoro started talking about rubbing my shoulders again and that sort of thing. _'I didn't need another reason to feel embarrassed and attracted to him. So no.'_

"Well..."Zoro sighed and rubbed his knuckles. "Time to get ready to go I suppose." he looked at me. "Dressrosa's up next. You looking forward to it?"

I shook my head. "If my superiors find out about me helping out pirates to take down a warlord. My name will be dragged through the mud."

_'I am so dead. Whatever the reason for it. Someone at HQ will find a way to make any of my actions here look disgusting and...'_

"But..." Zoro stood up and grabbed me by the hand and pulled me off the couch. _'What is he doing that for?' _He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already do that in Alabasta?"

_'Oh yeah._ _I suppose I did in a way...'_ I regretfully agreed. "I suppose."

"So what's the problem Marine?" Zoro took a hold of my chin and tilted my head back and his eye caught mine. It was a grey …. no almost a green colour. I couldn't quite tell. He too was staring at my face. _'Is he trying to find a spot or a blemish or something to pin point and show to me.'_

To my surprise his thumb grazed over my lips gently. I pulled backwards in surprise. "Zoro!?"

He was grinning as if he had just had a brilliant idea. "So ..." his grin got even wider. "...give me a kiss for luck."

"Huh? What? Why?"

He hooked my lower back with his left arm and took a hold of my head with his right hand and leaned in to kiss me.

I pushed against him disliking the surprise and when he let me go I fell backwards into his arms and he held me up, preventing me from falling back onto the couch. His left arm already supporting my lower back somehow lifted my legs up a bit allowing my hips to hit against his.

_'What is...? Is he going to force himself on me?'_

His right hand pulled me up again and towards him. He was grinning and I felt my heart thud in response to his words. "Huh? Well it's a surprise." He rubbed my nose with his in a way that felt less threatening and more playful. _'Was he playing some sort of game with me?'_

"What?" He muttered. "Well, a kiss is a kiss that doesn't need an explanation." He ran his left hand up my back and pulled me closer. "Why?" he looked confused and then smirked as if he didn't really care. "Why not... give me a kiss for luck? You do want to, don't you?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head and looked away. '_This was becoming an addiction. Me and Zoro. I just shouldn't do it.'_

"Why not?" he asked and to my surprise pulled my hips towards him in such a way that I felt something like an electric jolt pass through me.

_**'Come up with a good reason... come on!' **_I looked up at him then and my mind went blank._ 'He's so attractive, is this so bad__.__' … '__**Yes it is you idiot! This is totally unlucky!**__' _I shook my head. "I'm not … a very lucky person so I wouldn't suggest it."

_**'That was the dumbest thing I have ever heard!'**_

"Hahahaha!" Zoro laughed. My heart leapt. '_He has such a carefree laugh. It sounds so fun and happy._' he carried on chuckling and leaned into my neck breathing on my skin there. I tried to lean away but found I couldn't. I felt his mood change before his low voice spoke. "Let me kiss you the way I want to for a few minutes, and your luck is bound to change." I felt the hairs at the back of my neck rise up as he whispered into my ear. "That's a guaranty."

I took in a quick breath and tried to think clearly. '_I'm only feeling this way because he's so close, if he was further away then I'd …_' He kissed my neck again and I felt a wave of calmness pass into me. And I grabbed a hold of his clothes trying to hold myself up. 'I_s my neck a super sensitive area or something? Or is Zoro really a seductive demon in human form.'_ I could feel my heart beating erratically and I felt suddenly conscious that Zoro might even be able to hear it too, and that idea made it beat even faster.

_'Why am I staring at his chest? … because I can't look at his face. No now..'_

"So, what's your answer?" He whispered. My hands started shaking a little at the sound of his voice. _'Why did it sound so good? Why did he make me feel so incredible?'_

**_'You've got to give him a clean answer. Tell him no!_' **

I breathed in. "You say, 'it's just a kiss.'"

"Yeah. For a few minutes." He nodded.

"For Luck?" I asked.

'_**What are you doing Tash? This is a bad idea, you're listening to much to your attraction for him again.'**_

… _'__He said it was just __For luck?...' _

_**'Idiot!'**_

"Mh..." he nodded. "Is that okay?"

_**'No it's not!'**_

"Do I have your word that you won't try anything else?" I asked.

He looked me in the eyes and nodded. "Yeah, we'll be standing here, no moving, no lying down, just different ways of kissing."

I believe him. '_We'll just kiss. People have kissed before, and it hasn't gone anywhere from there.' __**… **__**'You're going to die a horrible death because you trusted the wrong people.'**_

_'I can trust him for a little while, of that I'm sure.' _I relaxed against him. "Ah... sure."

He leaned in and kissed my neck softly. It was just a small touch but it made me feel like my skin had been set on fire. He pulled away again and just as I had reopened my closed eyes I saw him looking at my lips just before he leaned in to kiss me there. I gasped when I felt the texture of his lips. He rubbed mine between his own like he owned them and gave them a brief suck and I felt a sigh of relief fall from my lips. Relief that he was being so gentle or relief that it did feel that good, I don't know.

He then sucked on my bottom lip a few times. _'It feels so weird...'_ I pulled away. "That one felt weird."

"Weird? How?" he smiled looking interested.

"Well," I touched my lips. "You were just sucking on a lip. Is that really classified as a kiss?"

He nodded. "I think so. You try and do the same, and see how weird it feels."

_'What? Did he mean... he wants me to kiss him_.' he wrapped both his arms around me and nodded waiting for me to kiss him.

_'I'm going to kiss him.'_ I leaned forward. '_**You can't do this. What about your promise?' **__'Work can wait.' _I looked at his lips._ 'I'm really going to kiss him_.' I closed my eyes just before I touched him and I could kiss him properly like he had been doing for me, but it was a light kiss. I tried again, and again, and then I sucked on his lip and the sound echoed between us. I felt Zoro stiffening up at the kiss and then responding by sucking on my lips as well.

He pulled me up onto his hips and started swaying the two of us together. '_Is this what it feels like to dance on air? Is this what it feels like to be hypnotised? I only seem to be following his lead.'_

He broke the kiss and pulled my shirt collar away from my neck on the right side he licked me across the wound there on my shoulder. _'__W__ow, w__hat is __this __he__'s__ doing?'_ I shook a little with ever lick he gave it. He did it again and again and again. It was so strange and animalistic like a wild animal looking after a wounded family member. I blushed at the thought and felt my entire body quiver and shake.

He lifted my chin up and sucked on my neck there. It was as if he had paralyzed me as I just leaned back and let him do it. The more he knocked and pushed our hips together the more I felt his manhood demanding some attention. _'Does he even know what he's doing to me? Does he even know how this feels?'_ he wrapped his arms firmly around my back rubbing it up and down again. It made me feel really supported, protected.

_**'Wait a minute. Didn't he say just kissing. This isn't just kissing.' **_

When Zoro did break away from my throat I stopped him briefly. "Wait." _'Why do I sound like such a little woman?'_ "Isn't this too much?"

He grinned again and shook his head. "I don't think we've done enough of this yet."

I felt myself blush deeply. "Not done enough?" I thought out loud.

He shook his head. "No, I think you deserve being kissed this way until Breakfast." I felt both his hands slid down my back over my backside and grip it, one hand on each cheek. To my shame I felt the tightening pool of sexual energy in me release a little and felt my underwear get a little wet. He pulled me back onto his hips. "I'm going to kiss you until you can't stand."

_'This is incredible! Yes! no. I'm not really supposed to like this.'_

_**'Okay then. Since you're doing this I've had enough. There's no way I'm going to allow him to carry on pushing me around like this. I'm going to make him want me the way I want him.'**_

_'We're just kissing.'_

_**'Just kissing! Yeah right!?'**_

I pulled away for a brief moment. _'I need to do something._ _He's the only one who seems to have started anything.'_ I looked down to where our hips were rubbing together. _'It does feel really good._ _Really intimate and __intense__.'_ I put my hands on his hips and held them against mine swaying a little bit and rubbing against him, as he had been doing to me.

_'Yes! __H__ow can I feel so good with just touch alone.'_ I looked back up at his face, his eyes were wide and totally focused on mine. I gasped when I felt his penis rub me in the perfect place for the tenth time.

Zoro let go of my ass and grabbed me by the front of my shirt and my hair taking me into another kiss. I let my hands wonder again as I felt his lips smothering my own. _'I can hardly breath.'_

I pulled away from his lips and kissed his neck. I breathed in his scent there. He smelt of iron, cinnamon and salt. _'I like it.'_ I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him there again and again. And then I licked him from his neck upwards. And then I noticed his three earrings in his ear. _'I want to taste them.'_

"Ahhh!" Zoro shook his head and pulled away, rubbing his ear.

_'He looks so adorable when he does that.'_ I grinned when he glared back at me. "You have a weak spot!" I giggled.

He scowled. "Tughf! That's not it I just don't like my ear being kissed. It's weird, who kisses people's ears."

"You have a weak spot!" I poked him in the stomach. "You have a weak spot!" I reached out my hand and flicked the earrings.

"Gah! Cut it out!" He stepped backwards and I felt a sense of power from his retreat.

"Come on let me kiss it, I promise I'll be gentle." I slid my hands down his sides and onto his waist. _**'He has such a perfect body. Zoro, **__**I want you so badly right now.'**__ H_e backed away some more and his legs hit the back of the couch. I jumped up on him gripping onto his hips with my thighs.

_**'I've got you now!'**_ I grabbed a hold of the back of his head and pulled myself towards him. I found his ear and kissed it and then sucked gently on his earrings as well. He fell backwards and pushed me back up away from him.

"Ahhh! Stop... You are such a weirdo, Tashigi!" He grumbled.

I laughed. _'__**If you don't like it that's your fault. You awoke this side of me Roronoa.**_**' **I leaned in again. "And you like it don't you, Pirate."

His eye went wide and he said. "You have no idea what I like."

"I bet you've wanted the marines to capture you for a while now." I wrapped my legs around his strong back and started rocking back and forth on his lap. '_**There's such a beautiful look of lust on his face right now. How does it feel Zoro, **__**to be put down all the time to be underneath**__**?**_' I felt his appreciation for my movements pulse under me and a small grin spread across my face. "I bet you want to teach me how to wield your sword." I whispered.

He grinned and pulled me down to his lips and kissed me. His hands ran up my back and sank themselves into my hair. It felt so good and thrilling and then I felt his tongue on my lips. It wasn't to strange at first, but then he started pushing further and further with it until he came in contact with my own. He somehow managed to twist his tongue around mine and twirl it as if he was trying to pull it away from me, and then he flicked it up and rubbed it against the roof of my mouth. I gasped at the feeling and pulled back.

_'That felt really strange. Oh my gosh!'_ There was a string of saliva joining our mouths together. I wiped it from my mouth and took a few steadying breaths. _'Did I just imagine that? Zoro … I mean Roronoa put his tongue in my mouth?' __**… 'It's a bit late to try and keep to formalities you idiot.'**_

"Sorry about that." Zoro chuckled and wiped his own mouth. "My tongue slipped out." His confident smirk took on a more inquisitive look and he looked up at me with those dark, grey-green eyes.

_'Okay, so... that was as far as we should take it, right?'... **'That's an understatement.'**_

"Woah." I sat back and let out a breath I'd been holding. "And so … what?" I cleared my throat to try and sound more natural. "That... that was your trick for luck?"

He nodded. "Yep." He smiled and looked awkward for a moment rubbing his neck. "Tash,... do you want to do something else?"

_'What was he getting at?' **… 'What do you think, stupid?!'** ...'Oh, that.'**  
**_

"What could that be?" I asked.

His frown came back on and he looked back at me as if I was an idiot. And then let his hands fall back down to my hips holding them gently as he gazed into my face. "You know what I mean."

As if on queue Sanji's voice rang up loud and clear from downstairs. "BREAKFAST TIME!"

_'Time's up.' ... '**Thank god**.'  
_

"Did you know. It's bad luck to break a promise." I shook my head at him and tutted in mock horror at the idea of Zoro breaking a promise. I leaned back and started to move off him when he stood up suddenly causing me to land heavily on the floor. I scowled up at his proud face. _'Of course how could I forget out of the two of us he has to be the better one. He always need to have the last laugh. Moron.'_

"If you're a promise keeper then why are you so unlucky then?" He held out his hand to me to help pull me back up.

I gave him my best disagreeable pout and then excepted it. "Just born unlucky I suppose."

"Not after that kiss you're not." He smiled again and I turned my head away.

_'Damn, I can feel myself blushing still.' __**… 'Well it's time to stop feeling attracted to this pirate and start focusing on the real world. **__**So, get up and get out!'**__ … 'Yes.'_

"Well, time for breakfast!" I stood up and walked over to the ladder as quickly as possible picking up my glass with some of the juice left and drinking it down then and there. _'I think I can still taste him in my mouth?' _I gulped at the strangeness of the idea.

Zoro followed me to the ladder and allowed me to go first. "And remember, don't let go of the hand rails until you've reached the bottom." He said with mirth in his voice.

"Shut up Roronoa!" He's so annoying, poking fun at me like that.

"By the way..." Zoro started. I looked back up at him getting a sharp retaught ready in the back of my mind. "You're looking good today Tash." He nodded down at me as if he really did like what he saw.

I couldn't help smiling. "Um... thank you." '_I like it when he is just being nice and kind. It's so different.'_

I climbed down to the bottom of the ladder and walked through the kitchen and out the main door, all the way round the outside of the kitchen on deck.

_'I really need some fresh air after that.'_ I took a deep breath. '_What the hell did I think I was doing?' … 'Did I really just have a battle of tongues with Zoro. Well, it wasn't much of a battle it was more of a strike. I am a fool! I am such a fool!'_

_'He was so nice. So amazing and he felt so …'_

_**'What the hell is wrong with me? I can't be falling for the enemy. I just can't love him, it's not right.'**_

_'What if no one finds out?'... '**No. It won't work out. It'll be a waste of time.' … **_

I sighed in frustration. '_And this is why I have focused on my career all these years. This romance stuff is distracting.'_

_'I'm cold. Why are my feet so cold?' _I looked down at my feet. _'Gah! Where did my boots go?' _

"No. No. No. I'm such an idiot! How could I have left them there?" I hit my head repeatedly into the balcony railings and then slumped over them. _'How can I get them back without going in and letting everyone see?'_

"What did you leave?"

"I left my boots upstairs." I answered sulkily and frowned looking down at my uncovered feet. _'How am I going to get them back?'_ … '_Huh? Who asked me that just now?'_

I looked sideways and only three meters away from me was the so called Warlord Trafalgar Law. '_Crap! Did he just see me hitting my head into the side of the ship? Was he here the whole time?_' He scoffed and looked away from me out to sea.

_'I need to leave. I need to go. I don't like this man. I don't like the feeling behind him. He's destructive._' I turned my back and moved to go back the way I had come.

I felt his eyes glaring into my back. "So how does it feel to not even be treated as a threat on an enemy ship?"

I felt my anger rise._**'No! Don't get mad!**__... Why should I rise to the bait?'_ I squared my shoulders and looked back at him. "And what reason have I given the strawhats not to trust me? I am a marine. I'm not a backstabbing pirate. My main ambition in life is NOT to sew discord or to use my abilities that I have spent hours to build up just to benefit myself. It's to help the weak and defenseless and benefit everyone."

"...And to help save only those worth saving." He finished for me. "Only those who can pay you."

I looked at him in disgust. "And so the surgeon of death is telling me it's wrong for me to decide who I want to save, but when it comes to himself he thinks that he is the LAW!" I scoffed at him. "And so ... that means it's fine and just when you give an order to murder someone, because you haven't taken the order from someone else."

He walked over to me until he was only a few feet away. His dark grey eyes seemed to be bearing into mine. _'What's up with his damned overbearing presence.' _

"What gives you the right to judge me?" I said to him "You! A person who cuts out the hearts of his enemies and then gives it to some sorry ally that he intends to betray anyway." His eyes didn't look away from mine and he stepped closer. "And what sort of lie did you tell Strawhat that made him agree with allying with you?"

"That's none of your business." He scowled at me and lifted his head up as if he was looking down on me.

_'I won't be looked down on by this man!'_ I shook my head. "If you had no interest in the alliance to begin with why even start one? And what are you planning on doing with the strawhats? What sort of sick revenge would make you want to do that to betray someone that you swore to?"

"The sort that comes from being betrayed and mistreated from a very young age." He tilted his head a bit. "Is that good enough for you Ms. Marine?"

I suddenly felt a killing intent coming off him and my hand was on Shigure and out of it's sheath in a flash, but he was too quick.

"Room." I saw Law's devil fruit power spread out across the area where we were standing and felt something cut across my chest.

_'No. not again. Don't say I've been cut in half again. Does he think he can get away with this?' _

I didn't see any mark on me and I felt puzzled. I looked up and saw cube in his hand. _'Is that … my heart?'_ I felt a bitter anger rise in me. He squeezed the beating cube in his hand and I crouched down in pain. _'No. why is he doing this.'_

"You are right." He said. "I have no reason to hate you individually, but you seem to be so self-righteous about everything it just really gets on my nerves." He stood over me and looked down. "I came from a city in which every single living thing was murdered, and the World Government did nothing. None other citizen apart from me survived."

I frowned, '_There is no way. Why didn't I hear about this? An entire city? There has to be a mistake. __That couldn't have happened.__' _

I felt him grabbing me by the hair and pulling it back forcing me to look up at him. "I heard about what you said to your superior and saw what you sacrificed at Punk Hazard and I can see that you do have a strong sense of justice, but where was this justice system that you're so proud of when my mother and father were shot to death in a hospital and when my sister was burnt to death in our house."

"What are you talking about?"

He squeezed my heart again cutting off my air flow and stopping my heart from beating for a few seconds. My vision blacked out and I fainted.

.

.

I woke up when I felt a hard punch in my chest. The first thing I saw was Law standing over me with my heart still in his hands. I took an unsteady breath. "Do you get some sort of sick satisfaction from beating up people who are weaker than you then?"

He looked back at me. "Do you get some sort of sick satisfaction from sleeping with the enemy?"

"What?!"

"What have you been planning with Roronoa? Why have you been seducing him? Have you made a deal with him?"

"Huh? What! No!" _'__So, that was w__hat he th__ought__ we were doing? I haven't been seducing anyone ... I think. I don't even know how to seduce.'_

He squeezed my heart again. "Tell me."

"I haven't planned anything."

"I heard that he forgot about what he did last night, why was that? Did you give him something?"

I growled in pain and glared up at him. "Maybe, it's because the bastard had too much to drink."

"What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing." I felt my face heat up. _'I can't let anyone know the truth.'_

"You're lying." He pulled out a small dagger and just very gently scratched the surface of the cube. I bit back a scream of agony. And glared at him. "Tell me, that's an order Marine. Have you found a way of communicating with your commander?"

"No. I haven't, and even if I did do you think that your threats would be enough to change my mind and tell you?"

His face showed no emotion. "Yes. Everyone has a price they're willing to pay for the right reason. All I need to do is find yours." He reached down and grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me up.

"You won't." I answered him. I almost winced at the pain as he dropped my heart to the floor, but forced myself not to show it. _'I won't give him that satisfaction.'_

"Really." His grey-black eyes bore into me. "Tell me do you trust the strawhat pirates?

_'What a strange question.' _I frowned but said nothing._ 'What can I say? That I trust them almost wholeheartedly. That I think they're an amazing group that deserves far more praise and recognition than has been given to them.'_

"Do you trust them?" He repeated.

I closed my eyes. _'I need to answer. __Please, let this be the right answer.__'_ "Yes," I said. "I do."

"Even though they're pirates."

I frowned thinking back to all the times that I had met them and what they had done during those times. "They have been reliably kind but careless since they blasted out from the East Blue, but yes I do trust them."

_'Although there had been that time when I really distrusted Zoro, and I tend to show an outward display of distrust to all pirates, but when it comes down to the basics, they have done nothing under my own eyes that would make me distrust them. Apart from Luffy when food's on the table.'_

"Since you trust them. I will let them decide what your fate should be." He used his 'room' devil fruit trick again and my own heart disappeared right in front of my eyes.

I pressed my hand to my chest trying to find my heart beat, but it wasn't there. I felt for my pulse in my neck and the blood was still pumping, but I just couldn't hear or feel my heart beat in my chest. "What have you done with it? Where is it?"

"Somewhere aboard this ship. When we hand you back over to the marines I trust there will be no complications. If there are you know what will happen to you."

_'I can't believe it. This can't be happening.'_ I swallowed. "And what if I did do what you wanted me to do would you give it back to me then?"

"I thought you said that nothing would change your mind." He smiled triumphantly and cracked his knuckles.

"Well?" I asked him pushing for an answer.

"That's just it, isn't it. If I give you back your heart again that would mean you are free. Free to decide what you want, to fight whoever you want, and to die whenever you want, but if I keep it and threaten you with it then maybe you might even consider doing what I ask of you. And I get to decide when you die." He said with that gloating look on his pale face.

"Law." I felt my arms shaking in rage. "You will regret this."

"If you do say a word of this conversation to anyone you will die." I swung his sword over his shoulder. "And your swordsman friend would be able to prevent it."

"I understand." I glared back at him. _'He's going to be the death of me afterall.'_

"So, you might be wondering why I did this." I looked back at him. 'y_es, I was indeed wondering just that.' _"I didn't do it just to spite you. I have done it because I see potential in you." I felt my gut twist in disgust.

"Potential?!" I laughed. "As someone like you. I shall never become a pirate not even if you stab or cut me a hundred times."

He huffed at my stubbornness. "I've no use of you as a pirate, I believe you'll make a good spy for me though as a marine." His words hit me like a knife in the stomach. _'He's going to try and __turn__ me into a traitor.'_

"So, how about it? Are you ready to make a deal with Death?" Still with that gloating look on his face he raised his tattooed hand and offered it out to me, ready to be shaken on.

I looked down at it and beyond that to Law himself, and then beyond that to the broad sea and then back down to my cold feet. My problems from a few minutes ago now seemed petty and small. I looked back up at him. "No. I shall not make a deal with you. Kill me if you wish. But I shall not bend to your will."

He smiled and lifted up his hand again. All of a sudden my boots appeared before me on the ground. I looked back at him with some many unutterable unanswerable questions. _'What was he planning?'_

He moved away from me. "There will come a time when you will find the idea of trusting me not as disgusting as you do now." he seemed to ponder over something. "You code name shall be 'Raven', that will be how I refer to you when you eventually decide to conform."

"I shan't!"

He walked away lifting his hand up and waving good bye. "You will."

Once he had gone I just sat back down for a few minutes trying to gather my thoughts. _'Maybe I can find my heart before he does anything to it?'_ I took a deep breath and pulled on my boots.

_'Right now... I'm in no position to argue anything with anyone?' _I put my head in my hands._ 'What the hell was I doing? I need to clear my head and focus again. I need to become stronger. I need to become better. I have no time to play to the amusement of pirates. I shall conquer this! I shall!' _

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**Well. What do you guys think? I like how this chapter ended out, but how about you? What are your thoughts write me a review. **

**Who are your favorite characters in One Piece and why? **

**Or what do you think of my story so far? **

**And are you finding it frustrating or pleasing or bit of both? **

**Or on a very different note? Where do you see some of the strawhats say in ten years time? That is One Piece years, not our years.**

**I love reading the reviews from you guys! And this story is currently on review 113. **

**:D so Thanks!**

**xxx**


	21. Beauty of DressRosa

**Chapter 21: thank you my amazing reviewers!**

**To Black Joke: For the reviews on chapter 20 and chapter 6.**

Haha! No, I haven't yet written any Boa Hancock x Luffy stories. I don't hate the pairing... but I do think they're a little daft. They remind me of Chichi and Goku and although I thought they were sweet at first I hated how Chichi just became the baby maker machine and Goku just ditched her all the time to fight and die. (Because that's how DBZ is.) I might give writing them a go, but honestly I sort of ship Luffy and Nami... I know. (SHOCK!) But I think they'd be a really cute couple.

**To Swing Low: For the review on chapter 20.**

You want some LuNa in this story huh? I might be able to manage that. Shehehehehe!

**To ThaliaSanchez: For the review on chapter 20.**

I think Las has weird humor too, but I also think, as I've been reading the manga and watching the anime, that it's been twisted over time and being with the strawhats has perhaps reawoken a side of Law that we haven't seen from him, a child-like trust that died when his family and home was destroyed.

And with living in England and reading its history of how the upperclass used to make themselves look whiter and more beautiful by covering their faces in lead power just makes me a little sick. Lead poisoning is a terrible thing. And that's why our pencils aren't made out of lead anymore because children used to get lead poisoning because they would suck the ends of pencils.

I think you and I are quite alike. Tashigi's my favourite character too for the same reason, she's a good fighter, and although people look down on her she doesn't give up. And also because I like trying to keep my world organized and tidy, and even when I make mistakes I get back up again.

Talking about getting back up again. This afternoon when I was walking back home from a lunch date, whistling to myself, I tripped over a sticking up piece of pavement and hop skipped a few places before standing up straight again and carrying on walking. And a really hot guy was standing at a food stall just watching me with a big grin on his face. I was so embarrassed I walked past as quickly as possible.

And talking about being laughed at because you're a girl, there was this game I used to play with some of my brother's friends called the knuckle smash game. In this game you basically smash your knuckles into someone else's until they cop out. And I have really strong knuckles so I often would win, and my brother was very proud of me.

But in all fairness. With the way Oda has drawn Tashigi... I hate it. Not her face or her hair I think that's okay, but I hate all the pink and the curves... I think if Tashigi was a serious swordswoman, as I think she is, then she would have built up quite a bit of muscle by now in all her sword practice and gotten herself a good old sixpack to show off as well.

Yeah, I like blending cannon and non-cannon. It gives direction to my story that I might not think about otherwise. Thank you for your review! :D

**To Rebecca Taylor: for the reviews on chapters 20, 18, 17, and 16.**

Thank you so much for all your constant reviews. It's good to know that you love my story that much. :D It makes me so happy!

And I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother, I hope you and you're family are doing okay. I only have one grandparent left. So I know how much it can hurt.

**To OnePiecelover28: For the reviews on chapter 18, and 19.**

You are welcome! I hope you don't lose too much sleep over this fanfiction. That wasn't my intention. :P Yeah, I try and make this fic as different to other Zoro/Tash fics out there because I hate it when you read a fanfiction that seems exactly like what you watched in the anime or read in another fanfiction. Although... that just makes me sound like a hypocrite because I'm basically rewriting the Cannon story, but... you know... it's still very different.

**To Thatasianguy: For the review on chapter 19.**

Move things along … romance … Zoro … teasing …

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I just don't see that happening. Zoro and Tashigi are both very natural around each other. They bring out the best and the worst in each other, but also the most truthfulness. For example I don't think that Zoro has ever told any of the crew about Kuina or why he wants to be the world's greatest swordsman and you know what they don't really care. They are really mean to him most of the time and don't really know him very well at all, the only two that come close are Sanji and Luffy. Compared to the very short time that Tashigi met him in Logue Town, she gave him a job, told him her life's ambition, advised him on what swords he should buy and told him she would bring hell to all evil people. While he, Zoro, went out of his way to actually do the job that she gave him to do in order to repay her, showed off to her at the shop when deciding on whether or not to take the cursed sword, and then went out of his way to enjoy fighting with her in the street later that day.

And you can tell he did enjoy it, not that part when she started yelling at him because she reminded him of Kuina, but he did enjoy fighting her. He just didn't want to hurt her because as Zoro said, "There are some things he doesn't want to cut."

So yeah, I think in their relationship there will always be a lot of teasing. Because that is what Zoro likes doing when he feels in control. And Tashigi is so serious the majority of the time it would be easy to make fun of her.

However Oda has made Zoro really serious as of late. I want him to smile and laugh again like he did in the old days.

**To Elisablackcat: For the review on chapter 19.**

Awkwardness is never too hard to overcome! Never let awkwardness get in the way of a good story. Since when have Oda's Strawhat pirates ever been overly awkward anyway.

**To Scarlet Alapaap: For the review on chapter 19.**

I know very forward. Gosh! How dare he! And he forgot what happened the day before too. He's going to regret that for a while.

**To Kiddieman: For the review on chapter 2.**

Yep she did, but hopefully that won't hold her down. :D

**To Guest: For the review on chapter 19.**

I would be mad too if I knew someone dreamed about me. But thankfully we haven't got psychic abilities that enable us to read each others thoughts otherwise I think there would be a lot more murders in the world.

I do get the same vibe as you from Dressrosa, which was one of the reason why I wanted to write Tashigi into the arc of Dressrosa itself. I mean Dressrosa is basically what Alabasta would have been if Crocodile had got what he wanted. However, where Crocodile hadn't succeeded Dolflamingo did, and that's what is so sickening about it. So yeah, it's similar to Alabasta...or Arabana... whatever.

**Enjoy.**

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Hard Lines: Beauty of Dressrosa

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I readjusted my glasses firmly before entering the kitchen again. _'I mustn't show any weakness to anyone. __I must be calm, collected, and in-control.__' _I walked in and unlike what I had expecting, no none gave me a second glance or even seemed to take notice in the fact that I had been missing.

"Blueberry!"

_'I thought too soon.'_

"Tashigi-chan!" Sanji sung and danced out of the kitchen and pulled up a chair for me. "Come and sit down! Take a seat."

I moved into the room and sat down, but I suddenly felt very ill and not too hungry at all. _'Maybe it's the stress of it all and lack of sleep, or rest. __Or maybe it's the fact that I'm aware that a part of me is hidden somewhere aboard this ship. How dare he? He actually took out my heart just to make a business proposal.' _I winced a little when Sanji's face came a little too close to mine.

"What would you like this morning?" Sanji tucked me into the table pushing the chair forward a bit and smiled down at me.

_'His kindness__ would have been nice if I wasn't still feeling invaded.__Zoro invades my personal space, __Trafalgar __Law __invaded and stole__, __Luffy does … the list goes on.'_

"May I just have some toast and juice please. I don't feel very hungry today." I said, giving him what I hoped would look like a normal smile.

"Alright. Coming right up my princess!" He beamed and then slid away to the kitchen with the grace of a professional dancer. _'I get it now, so this is what a human peacock looks like._ _Man, that's exhausting.' _I rubbed the back of my head, and then under my glasses trying to relax my still tired eyes.

"Heh, are you alright." Zoro said from my left and I jumped a bit. _'I thought that Nami was sitting next to me there a second ago, where did she go?'_

_**'Don't tell anyone...'** 'That's what he had told me, right? Or else he could decide to throw my heart overboard and be done with it. No telling anyone. Keep it a secret.' _

"Yeah." I nodded back to Zoro. "I'm fine."

He was sitting holding up a piece of fish in his fork and he looked at me in boredom as if what I had just said held no meaning whatsoever. He ate the rest of his food in big mouthfuls and drank down his orange juice all extremely quickly and ungracefully. _'Probably to make sure that Luffy didn't get any.'_ And then thumping his chest once as if he got something caught in there he leaned back and slouched into the chair. He looked back towards me and his one good eye said it all. _'I can see __right through __you.'_

_'He can tell. He can tell that I'm lying. But that doesn't change a thing. I can't tell him. Even if I wanted to.' _

I became very aware of the fact that I kept on putting my hand to my chest as if I might just suddenly feel my heart start beating again, but every time I was reminded of just how dead and empty the inside of my chest cavity was.

Sanji got my food for me very quickly and I got into it just as quickly because even three different types of toast can be that amazing when they have his own specially made spreads over the tops of them. Zoro remained quiet and subdued for the majority of the meal. Mostly grimacing and smirking at other peoples' jokes but not really putting out any himself.

Trying to find something to distract me from noticing Zoro's presence, I looked back at Kinamon talking over something with his son Momonosuke and saw that the boy Momonosuke wasn't a boy anymore.

I gasped and stood up pointing at Momonosuke. "What!? You!? You..." Everyone stopped eating and looked at me. "How is he a dragon!?" I asked frustrated and very confused.

I heard a chuckle behind me and looking back I saw Zoro appearing amused. "What you didn't know? He ate one of the fake devil fruits back on Punk Hazard."

"No." I glared back. _'Is he making fun of me again?'_ "Of course I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have acted so surprised."

Luffy, having had someone else start up the conversation, suddenly went into his tale about how he met Momonosuke and how he flew. Momonsuke seemed absolutely adamant that he had never flown, but Luffy was also absolutely sure that he had, and a scuffle ensued. Their conversation / argument lasted a long time and it was in fact quick enjoyable and funny to watch.

It was around that time that I had finished eating and drinking that Zoro put his hand on my leg. It wasn't an uncomfortable grip or a hard hold, it was just there as if he had mistaken my leg for an armchair's arm. And somehow I didn't mind it being there at all. It was nice to feel the comforting warmth of his hand, and looking back up at him, I saw that he was pretending that he wasn't doing anything at all. So, I pretended he wasn't as well. It was so different to how he had been acting previously, being so overbearing and straight-forward. Here it just felt like a … secret. Like no one else had to know. And nothing else was going to happen. I felt the worry and stress from my thoughts of the future just ebb away into his warm hand.

I did a good job of pretending he wasn't there, making sure that I was paying 100% attention to everybody else and not him, and unsurprisingly Zoro seemed to be doing the same, giving a lot of attention to remarks made about him and giving people glares. But his hand didn't move from my leg not until everyone had starting moving about and standing up. And even then, his hand slide up my leg, and as he stood up, passing me, his hand brushed across my lower back as if it was a mistake in passing. Whether it was or not, just the feeling of the physical contact was enough to make me feel pleasantly warm as if the sun was shining indoors.

I allowed myself to watch him walk outside before I could think the better of it.

_'Damn. Why do I feel I can trust these people so much?'_ I kept a close eye out for Law in the corner as well. _'Zoro especially. I mean in the past I'd have just brushed him off. Knocked off his hand and yelled at him. What has changed so much? Is he changing me?'_

I stood up and followed the rest of them outside to see Usopp's disguises apparently.

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"We're here!" Luffy yelled leaping from the ship. "Dressrosa!"

"No so loud Luffy! We're in enemy territory." Usopp whispered holding on for dear life to the side of the ship as if it was his life support and let go meant sure death.

"Gahahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed raising his hands to the sky.

"Oh, come on." Usopp shook his head in bewilderment at Luffy's love for terrifying things.

"OW!" Franky got off the ship as well. "I feel particularly super this week!" he lifted his robotic arms and joined them together so that the stars on either arm joined up. "I can easily blow up a factory or two. So lets just find it and get it done!"

"Again, don't be so loud." Usopp turned his call out into a loud whisper.

"Anyway, we just have to go to town, right?" Luffy looked back at Law who had just got down the ladder.

"Yeah, and remember, don't do anything careless." He kept his head down as if the seriousness of the situation had cast upon him a heavy weight that prevented him from looking up. "If we don't destroy the factory then the entire plan falls apart."

"Oh, I know!" Luffy laughed.

I climbed down the ladder as well and approached Robin who seemed to be the only one who wasn't trying to get one anyone else's nerves.

"Have you ever been here before?" I asked her.

"Dressrosa? No." She shook her head but smiled anyway. "But I hope it's as terrifying as people say."

Nami and Usopp walked up to Law. "So let's have another look at the map again so these idiots..." She pointed back at Luffy and Zoro. "... can get their whereabouts."

Law unrolled his map of the island. "We are here on this beach." I leaned over Nami's shoulder and had a look at the map. _'My gosh. That map … well... it looks cute I suppose. Like a child did it.'_

"...We three.." Law indicated to Robin, Usopp and himself. "will take Caesar down this pass and over this bridge to the green bit."

"Why don't we just go over that way in the 'Sunny'" Usopp suggested. "It would be a lot easier.

Law shook his head. "I have heard that ships can't cross those waters."

"Interesting." Robin muttered. "I wonder if some dark sea monster has taken up residence in the area."

"Don't say that Robin!" Usopp fretted and covered both his ears.

I laughed at him and turned around. "Where are the others?"

Nami slammed her own palm into her head. "Trust them to get themselves lost on a new island."

"We need to get them." Law frowned.

"No, there no point in all of us going to get them it would ruin our plan, and might possibly get them into danger as well." Robin said.

"Well, if Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Momonosuke are staying with the '_Sunny_', then they should stay here." Usopp declared.

"And Law, Usopp, Caesar and I are all going to the green bit." Robin added. They all looked at me.

"I suppose I was delegated by Zoro to go with their team and help to destroy the factory." I said. "I'll go get them and give them the update." _'How can they be so stupid as to leave before all the plans have been discussed?'_

Nami came up to our group with a massive backpack and dropped it to the ground. "Brook just gave me this. It's what all those morons left behind." She looked back up at me with a grin. "Would you mind following after them and giving it to them?"

I sighed. "Sure. Why not." I picked it up and swung it over my shoulder. _'I had already be delegated to that team anyway so might as well.'_

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With the huge backpack for clothes and disguises that the others had left behind on my back, I ran into the main entrance of the city. It's main entrance was a beautiful stone archway that seemed to be made more colourful with all the lichen that was growing from it.

_'Oh my gosh!'_ I paused for a moment letting the beauty of the city sink in. _'This place is like being in a fairy story!'_ I looked up at the buildings on either side of me. _'They look like cakes and puddings... with icing drippling off them._ _Or like one giant tablecloth with multiple food options on the menu.'_

_'Beautiful.'_

_**'This would be the perfect time to escape.'**_

I shook my head at my truant thought. '_If I did that I would die. Law would find out.'_

I scowled at my own cowardice. _'No, but I promised I'd take these to them anyway, so I will.'_

After running down a few more streets I saw the lot of them just a few meters away from me at a junction.

"Hey! You guys!" I called out to them while running over there. "You forgot something."

Luffy frowned. "You're not something, you're someone."

Whether it was the stupidity of his statement or the pavement beneath me was loose I suddenly slipped and fell on my face. '_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'_

"Tashigi-chan!" Sanji ran over to me and pulled me up. I tried to shake him off and tell him I was alright, but he was insistent that I must have been hurt.

I pulled the backpack off and chucked it at him. "I meant that Strawhat."

Zoro stepped up to me and put his hand over my mouth. "No more name calling." he whispered. "We got those disguises so we wouldn't be discovered, remember?"

_'No, I doubt very much that these will help in any way to prevent their identities from being found out.' _

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**'Zoro's point of view.'**

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_'This place was cool! Weird, but pretty awesome as well.'_ I looked over to where Luffy was and could see all that was guiding him was his nose. _'Trust him to be guided with that.'_

"Hey! Wait!" We looked in the direction of the sound. Our own problems having been forgotten about momentarily. "Give that back. I said, Wait Mario! Come back! Give me back my arm!"

We all just stood there for a moment and watched a dog run passed us with a bit of an arm stuck in his mouth. And the person that was following it wasn't a person at all but a stuffed toy.

"What a troublesome dog you are! The stuffing will fall out!" The toy thingy ran passed so fast next another toy that it made the metal one's head and body spin round. It carried on running as if it hadn't noticed, and held it's side grumbling as it disappeared into the distance. "My sides hurt! Even if they are just cotton!"

_'What the hell did I just see? I'm not going blind am I?_' I blinked again and felt my mouth hanging open. _'No, that is definitely a toy running after a dog.'_

"A … a stuffed animal!?" Luffy expressed what everyone who wasn't used to the situation felt like saying, and let his mouth hang open.

"What!?" I heard Tashigi say, and looked back at her, she looked amazed. "That's incredible. How is it possible?"

"Good day!" Another toy thing sprung out at us from somewhere and started doing some weird-ass stretches in front of us. "I'm a soldier. Hmmmh. By any chance have we met before? You look most familiar."

_'This isn't good. Aren't we supposed to try and blend in.'_

"Are! I remember in this morning's newspaper." It tilted even more as it was staring at us and got tangled in it's own strings. "Oh no! My strings got tangled. Help!"

"What is that? A toy?" Luffy poked the tin soldier while he was still tied up in his strings.

I looked away. '_We need to find a good place to change into our disguises. Wait! What the heck!?_'

"Oi! Luffy, look at that!" I exclaimed. I pointed in the direction of some other people and toys that were walking down the street. Some really hot looking chick was walking with her arm in a huge toy's arm and pushing a pram with a smaller toy in it. And there were some other creepy looking toys on either side of them as well.

"My God!" Tashigi exclaimed. "How is this even accomplished? This sort of thing should be impossible."

"Help!" A long and narrow toy thingy came running up the street. "Someone! A man got stabbed!"

The toy that was lying on the ground at our feet figgited, looking up with a tiresome voice coming out of his blank face. "Not again."

"What do you mean again?" I asked suspicious. _'Maybe there is a clue to this madness?'_ "Is there some kind of serial killer on the loose?"

"No, the ladies of this country are very passionate about love, and extremely jealous." I frowned at his explanation. "If their hearts get broken...they often stab the man to death."

"Scary." Kinemon said.

Tashigi sounded unimpressed. "The sort of woman that kills over a man is the stupid and dumb kind, and has no other ambition in life other than to find her next man."

Sanji had hearts in his eyes. "Don't you think it's romantic though Tashigi?!"

"No. They're the sort of women that men think they have to protect because they act like stupid air-heads all the time, and rely on other people to do their work for them." Her grip tightened on her bag. "I hate stupidity like that."

The toy on the ground carried on. "The more beautiful they are, the more murderous they are. Hehehehe."

"There's toys running around, but whatever!" Luffy raised his fists to the sky again. "Let's go get some food!"

"No. Not yet!" Tashigi grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "You need to go around the corner and get changed."

"We can get changed right here." Luffy grabbed the bag and tried pulling it away from her.

"No!" She slapped his wrist. "Be sensible Luffy." She pushed him off her and pointed back over her shoulder. "Go and change in that building over there. Then no one will see you."

All five of us followed Tashigi into the building and saw that it was deserted. I looked back at her.

"Can we delegate you as look-out then?"

"Yeah, sure." she pouted and shook her head in bewilderment at the absurdity of her situation.

"Don't peak in on us will you?" I grinned.

"What?!" She blushed and looked away. "As if I'd want to do that!"

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A few minutes later we had all finished getting our disguises fixed and stepped out ready to encounter DressRosa. Tashigi was waiting for us at the entrance.

"Where are all your old clothes?" She asked.

"There back there." I said.

She shook her head. "Well you can't leave them there. That would leave proof that you had been here at all and will leave a trace for others to follow."

"Oh." Luffy said, stroking his new beard. "You're smarter than I thought you were. Hehehehe."

She pouted at his comment and grabbing the clothes off the floor started putting them back into the bag. "Let me take that for you my Blueberry!" Sanji swiped it from her hands and carried on doing the rest of the work himself.

"Alright! Disguise complete!" Luffy yelled. Tashigi shook her head and looked exhausted as Luffy rushed passed down another street.

"What's wrong with you?" I came up to her nudging her a bit.

"I can't believe between his shouting and all your extremely bad blending into the environment skills that the marines haven't been able to capture you guys yet."

"I don't know about that. I think our disguses are quite good." I looked down at my shirt and black jacket. "What do you think?"

She frowned. "I don't like it. It doesn't suit you at all."

"So... what you'd prefer me to go streaking?"

"Tughf!" She scowled. "Of course not. I'm just saying I don't like that look on you at all. It's just so normal and bland."

"So, it's a good disguise?"

"Well, no because it doesn't hide your green hair, or your swords." She shook her head. "You did a far better job at blending in, while in the Alabasta kingdom. Except for the fact that you were wearing the most black and white patterned cloth that I had ever seen on a guy, and that did make you stand out."

"I don't even remember what I was wearing." I raised an eyebrow. "And you thought I looked good in that?"

"Yeah, because it looked like a white sea leopard or snow tiger or some other fierce animal. You had that as the cape, and a salmon coloured head-covering..."

"Wow, I never would have taken you for such an observant stalker." I snickered.

"I'm not a stalker!" She glared back at me with one hand placed dangerously on her weapon. "I just remember things clearly because unlike some people I don't drown my memories away by having too much to drink."

I scowled at that. "I don't have too much to drink! And what sort of right do you think you have telling me I drink too much?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you drink so much that you lose your memory, then that's an obvious sign that you drink too much."

"That's stupid." I shook my head.

She paused and looked back at me again. "anyway... as I was saing 'this says nothing about you at all. It's just a black... blar..."

I grinned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Because it's meaningless." She huffed.

I looked around again stepping quickly and keeping my eye on Luffy and our surroundings. "So, Tash. What do you think of this place?" I looked down at her again and saw her eyes light up and she looked up on either side of the street. I glanced up as well.

"I love the architecture." She said with a grin. "It looks so new and yet traditional. It's breathtaking. It looks like we've entered into candy land."

I frowned. "Yeah. But then again there's something really creepy about this place."

She looked back at me. "What?"

"Everyone is too happy. Even the toys. I don't like it. Where are all the odd people, the old, the homeless, and the sick people?" I looked down one street and then the next. '_Everything was too fricki'n perfect.' _

She nodded. "You're right. I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm so hungry!" Luffy yelled totally oblivious to what we were observing together. "Let's go eat over there!" He ran around a corner and pointed at the first thing he saw. "Oi! Let's go and eat at this restaurant!"

We all walked in after him.

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**End of Chapter 21**

**Interesting fact.**

**When I joined fanfiction in 2013 and started writing Tashigi's Heart I had intended to have Law cut out Tashigi's heart from the start as one of the key plot threads, which was why I decided to call my story Tashigi's Heart. (It was a play on words because I wanted a lot of the story for her to be heartless, and yet she was learning to love.)**

**It had initially been intended on just being a diary sort of thing written by Tashigi. You know, the short and simple kind of stuff, but the more I wrote the more I expanded on the story and found out that I didn't want to write the diary anymore, but something longer and more detailed. Starting from Logue Town and ending … soon... in Punk Hazard.**

**So, Tashigi's Heart took too long and I started this story. If you're interested in it give it a read. **

**To all you lovely people out there I hope you like it.**

**xx**


	22. Mysterys, Toys, and Blind People

**Chapter ****2****2****:**

**Well. When I started this story I thought that this moment in time on Chapter 22 I'd have finished with Dressrosa and moved on, but … well lets just say I seriously doubt if I'll be able to fit the entirety of what happened on Dressrosa into ten chapters, but I'll see. **

**I suppose that's one of the bonuses and drawbacks from following one person's or two peoples' journeys in a certain place. It's easier to write about just what they're doing, but also it's harder to keep the story clear and understandable from the bigger perspective, but that can also be what makes it so exciting. **

**But I don't see why so many of the well known series make the arcs sooooooo loooooooooonng. I mean Dressrosa is now over 100 episodes long!**

**I mean I just watched 23 minutes of the latest One Piece episode 707 and … hardly anything happened. You spend 4 minutes on the into and then another two on the recap. And then you have lots of flash moments with different characters that you forgot were doing their weird fights anyway. And you have the stare battle... and then you have yell challenge exchange... and then you flashback within other stare battles and challenge exchanges, and then a monologue and then repeat. **

**I could summarise that episode with:**

**Law said his name is D. "Your going down Joker! Because I'm one of the awesome D's!" **

**Zoro's still hasn't sliced the squeaky-voice, rock man, Pica, and is complaining that he keeps running away.**

**Cabbage has woken up. **

**People are fighting.**

**Sabo saves some people.**

**Robin's still useless... (and I really hope she does do something when she reaches the top and helps the princess).**

**Luffy can't punch Mingo because Spring guy is in the way.**

**Viola is summarising for us, even though we really don't need her too.**

**Kyros is protecting his daughter in sunflower … sea bed. (I will admit that the power to make the ground flutter like fabric like that is pretty cool)**

**But why does it take so long! We have spent over 100 episodes on Dressrosa already! I want it to be over so we can get to see Big Mama, and samurai Island Zou.**

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Hard Lines: Mystery, Toys, and Blind People

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Luffy charged on ahead into a restaurant and the others followed behind. The are was surrounded by tall, grey, stone buildings and narrow passage ways on either side.

_'Everything in the place is made from stone. Or has stone on something.'_

I moved in after the others but then I felt a impressive... no a heavy presence nearby.

_'I can hear__ the sound of tapping. __Where is that coming from.__'_ I looked around and then back at the stairs that led up a narrow passageway, and saw a long shadow coming down them.

**'Tap tap.'**

**'tap tap'**

I put my hand on Wado. _'Whoever this guy is... he's dangerous. There's something odd about him.'_

**'tap tap'**

**'Tap tap'**

He became visible and I could see the stick in his hands as he hit the stairs.

**'tap tap'**

**'tap tap'**

I felt a frown cross my face. '_Is he blind? Can he not see me?'_

_'Tap tap'_

_'tap tap'_

He came to the bottom of the stairs at an awfully slow pace and he hubbled forwards toward me as if he were an older man than he looked. _'He looks like he'__s making for the restaurant.__'_ He stepped into the light and I kept silent. He was dressed in deep purple robe and had a large scar running down from the center of his forehead down through his right eye and another running down the other side of his face through the other eye. _'It's like someone tried to claw his face off.'_

**'tap tap'**

**'Tap tap'**

_'I wonder just how good this guy is. Can he sense my presence yet? Will he even notice me if I stay silent.'_

**'tap tap'**

**'tap tap'**

The man carried on walking and stepped right passed me. _'I knew it. Old __fogey__ doesn't have it anymore, but then why do I still feel such a pressure. __Might have been good in his prime.__'_

"Pardon me." The old man stopped.

I look back at him._ 'Well, I guess he does still have it. He did know I was here, even though I was absolutely silent. Good. He must have a powerful Haki.'_

"I heard that there was a casino around here. Do you know where it is?" He asked.

I replied. "Sorry, old man. It's my first time in this town, too. How about asking in that restaurant over there?" I nodded in that direction but then I suddenly realized that he couldn't see where I indicated anyway.

"Oh, I see. Thank you for your kindness." He turned his back to me and went on his way into the restaurant.

_'Well that was fairly painless. I wonder what sort of person this guy is.'_

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I walked into the Restaurant after the old guy and looked around for a bit. _'__This place looks c__ool.' _

The place was warmly lit but dark and mysterious at the same time. Lanterns and chandlers were hanging from the ceiling lighting up a collection of massive barrels of booze five times the size of any normal human. The lights also shone on the red walls that seemed to be on all sides of the restaurant.

_'It said restaurant on the outside ... but it feels more like a family-friendly tavern. Weird.'_

In looking around I saw even more toys. There was a rat, rabbit, doll, badger, and a lot of other things that I wouldn't know how to name apart from being some sort of creepy looking toy in strings of some kind.

_'How do toys' even eat?'_

I eventually found the others and sat down. We all ordered our drinks and relaxed waiting for our food to come. At our table Luffy was keeping himself busy by blowing bubbles in his drink, and watching the ice bouncing on the surface.

All of a sudden Kinemon hit the table and yelled. Luffy splurted and got water into his new, fake, grey beard. "What're you doing?!" Luffy yelled leaning back.

"We do not have time to be sitting around in a place like this! I must find Kanjuurou as quickly as possible!" Kinemon interjected.

"Now now, calm down." Franky said calmly. "It's true that we don't have much time, but running around blindly won't help. We should try and get some information first."

Sanji let out a puff of smoke. "So, does anyone else think something is strange here?"

"Huh!?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"The king of this country abdicated this very morning. I'd expected there to be more panic."

"Maybe they don't know yet? I said sarcastically I raised my beer to my lips.

"There's no way they wouldn't!" Franky yelled at me, slamming a fist down into the table.

_'Or maybe there is something else going on here that's even more suspicious.'_ I looked back over at the old guy playing at the roulette table. There was a bundle of sighs and groans and he pulled another collection of money towards him. _'He's lucky. Extremely lucky. __Or is he cheating?__' _

I carried on looking around at the strange sights of the walking toys. _'__Green lizard like toy. __More stuff that I don't know the names of … dolls...__Clown.__'_

"Let's ask! Hey, old guy!" Luffy yelled at an elderly gentleman, obviously wanting an answer to the question that Sanji had asked.

"Cut it out!" Sanji hit Luffy.

Luffy cried in indignation. "What are you doing!?" He yelled back at him.

"Your face was on he front page, remember!?" Sanji yelled back spitting at Luffy a bit with the power of his animated speech.

"**PISHHHHH!" **There was a crash of symbols coming together as a toy monkey with strings attached to it came up to us with our food. "I'm sorry... to have kept you waiting!" …. "OR NOT!?"

_'What the hell? And they say that I have a bad attitude. What's he even supposed to be? A monkey with really long arms... an octopus monkey?'_

"Here it comes! I've been waiting for this!" Luffy clapped and sat up straighter, his mouth watering at the sights.

The toy monkey-pus... began. "Dress shrimp paella." It was shrimp, fried vegetables, lobster, and other sea foods..."Rose squid-ink pasta." He continued. that was a grey colour with roses...black section... red cherries... pink petals. "And Fairy Pumpkin in Gazpacho." He finished. That had a green pumpkin in a salmon coloured soup.

"It all looks delicious!" Luffy called out drawling impatiently. "Time to eat!" He clapped his hands together and then grabbed his fork and started eating straight away. "Yummy!"

"Fairy Pumpkin? What's that?" Sanji inspected the dish.

"**PISHHHHH!"** the monkey-pus toy smashed his clashing things together again. "Well, you see... here in this country, people still believe the legends of fairies. …... OR MAYBE THEY DON'T!"

Luffy looked back at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"**PISHHHHH!" **the monkey-pus made the sound again. "In other words, maybe fairies appear, or maybe they don't!"

"Fairies appear?" Sanji asked.

"**PISHHHHH!" **Monkey-pus continued. "That's right. Mysterious, isn't it?"

"Huh?" I saw Tashigi look up from her meal. Her eyebrows raised. "What for real? In this country? Has anyone seen them?"

"**PISHHHHH!" "****It's been like this for centuries."**

I shook my head. "Can't you see he's making fools out of us. There are no such things as fairies."

"**PISHHHHH!" "****We can't see them, but they definitely exist."**

When I looked back up at Tashigi again I noticed her glare was aimed at me. "Just because you've never seen something before doesn't make it less real."

"**PISHHHHH!" "****People..."**

"Their fairies!" I continued over the racket the Monkey-pus was making.

"**PISHHHHH!" "****Call those fairies..."**

"How unreal is that. There hasn't been any proof that they have ever existed!"

"**PISHHHHH!" "****Dress Rosa's...**

I lifted up another mug of beer and drank down two mouthfuls. "Wait!" I looked back at her, and spoke up some more. "Do you believe in Fairies?"

"**PISHHHHH!" "****Guardian..."**

"**PISHHHHH!" "****Spirits..."**

"**PISHHHHH!" "****Or maybe they don't!"**

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!?" We all yelled at once.

"**Well visiters..." he said backing away. "...Please take care... OR DON'T!" "PISHHHHH!" "PISHHHHH!" "PISHHHHH!" "PISHHHHH!"**

We all let out a sigh of relief when he had gone and got back to eating.

Tashigi sighed. "What an annoying monkey."

Luffy looked up. "Huh? What? That thing was a monkey?"

"It was a monkey-pus." I said before eating another mouthful. Everyone turned to look at me. "It had really long arms alright!"

"Just because it had long arms doesn't mean it was a monkey-pus" Sanji started. "What what the hell is that supposed to be anyway?!"

"It's a monkey and an octopus!"

"That's so stupid!"

I shrugged, "That's because this entire country is stupid. And believing in fairies is stupid."

"but if nearly the entire country believes in them there must be a reason behind it." Tashigi spoke up. "Like the legends of mermaids. You often can't believe it's possible that they exist until you actually see them."

"YES! Exactly what my blueberry said." Sanji blew kisses at her from across the table and then returned to eating and inspecting his meal. "Seriously, it'd be easier to believe in fairies than in these living toys."

"You're right about that." Franky agreed.

"We need more food!" Luffy yelled.

"I'll get some." Kinemon stood up and went to get a waiter again to ask for the exact same dishes to be brought out.

.

"He won again! That's fourteen times in a row!"

"What's the commotion about?" Franky turned around to look to the other side of the room.

I followed his gaze. "It's the roulette table." I said.

"Huh?" Franky looked back at me.

"An old blind man is messing with them."

"Old blind man?" Luffy asked me with his mouth full and looked in that direction.

"What's going on over there?" Tashigi leaned over my arm. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing much." I shrugged. "Just an old man winning at Roulette."

She frowned and pulled her glasses back down over her eyes. "Oh, my gosh!" She covered her mouth and sunk into her chair.

"Oi?" I shook my head at how ridiculous she was looking. "What's wrong with you?" I looked back at him.

"That's Admiral Issho Fujitora." She whispered and looked back at him again. "I can't believe he's here. What if he's already heard about our plans."

"No, he can't have done. Don't worry Tashigi chan." Sanji answered before I could have done.

"Of course he could have." She frowned up at him and the rest of us. "He could have one of the intercepting transponder snails. They can be used to enter the same radio signals of someone else's transmission."

"How would you know that? Have you got one?" I raised my mug to my lips.

"No, not with me." she huffed. "But I did have one on my battleship before Law thought to split it into pieces."

I shook my head. "What you had something as convenient as that? No way."

She raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair. "Then how else do you explain that Smoker and I were able to find out that you were headed for Alabasta two years ago, and Puke Hazard a week ago? On both occasions?"

"Well..." 'I_ don't know.. didn't they just follow us. I thought __they were__ just luck__y__.'_

"We intercepted a call from Mr 0 to a Mr 3 about the strawhats and the princess of Alabasta. And from what I remember a lot of the conversation was quite cut up, but Smoker decided that considering the problems that Alabasta was having at the time we should go there and there was a high possibility that the rest of the strawhats were there too."

Sanji raised his head. "You intercepted my call with Mr 0!?" He grinned and wiggled around in place doing one of his creepy dances. "Did you feel my love waves that I sending out to all you ladies!"

"Huh?!" Tashigi looked at him in confusion. "Wait, are you saying you were Mr. 3?"

I sighed. "No he wasn't but he was slacking off while he was one Little Garden, while Nami, Vivi and I were getting waxed onto a wax cake, Luffy was being colour controled and Usopp was pretending to help, He was busy picking his nails and

"Hahahahaha! I remember that!" Luffy laughed. "And I remember you tried cutting off your ankles so you could run away from the wax cake thing."

Sanji, Brook, Franky, and Kinemon started sniggering uncontrollably.

Tashigi looked at me in worry. "Why did you try and do that?"

"Because I needed to fight. And the wax was stopping me from moving around. By feet were stuck."

"**Hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha!" **

I felt my cheeks flame up. "Well where were you dart brow?! Nami and Vivi almost died beside me you know, and you did nothing to help. And they would have died with really bad poses."

"YOU MORON! YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, BAD! THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BEAUTIFUL NO MATTER WHAT POSE THEY WERE IN!" Sanji yelled. And a few heads turned in our direction.

"Sanji, not so loud." Tashigi said. "We don't want to draw to much attention to ourselves right?"

"Alright Tashigi chan!" He smiled back at her and seemed to instantly calm down.

I frowned and looked back at her. "And so how did you know we were going to Punk Hazard? Was it the same for that trip too."

"Well." She leaned forward again tapping her fingers on the table. "We didn't know at first. Smoker fully expected Strawhat to have a new log pose by then and with that he would have probably wanted to have gone to the most dangerous island nearby after fishman island and that was Raijin Island, the Island of sleepless thunder and lighting."

Luffy looked up from his food then. "What thunder? What's this you're talking about Tashy!?"

She unfastened her hair and tide it up again, as if it had been coming undone. "Just an island that is always surrounded by a thick fog of lightening clouds."

"WHAT!" Luffy's jaw dropped.

She sighed. "It was exhausting to walk around. I had to wear rubber boots, hat, and gloves, and even then I'm sure was could feel my arm shaking from the power of the electricity going through me." She lifted up her arm. "Once I lifted my Shigure too high into the air and a bolt of electricity Shot down it and made my arm ache, but when I swung the blade round again and hit a rock with it there was a spark and the dust that was on the ground turned into glass." Her eyes had become sparkly as she remember the adventure. "I had never seen anything so beautiful and deadly."

Luffy pouted and seemed to deflate onto the table. "I wanted to go there."

"Well, you did decide to follow that pod of whales if you remember." Sanji smiled at the memory.

"Stupid Nami." Luffy carried on sulking. "She got us lost."

I rolled my eyes. "You had totally forgotten about it until now."

"How come Smokey got to go on that Island and I didn't?"

I shook my head and flicked Tashigi's nose. "So you were on the island... why did you decide to go to punk hazard?"

"We received the same distress call as you guys did. However when we tried to answer it I don't believe the call would go through. We thought it must have been the interference caused by the island. But we did hear you." She smiled. "Such a nostalgic feeling hearing you over the Transponder snail Luffy. And so that's when we headed over to Punk Hazard."

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**End of Chapter 22.**

**Well hopefully I'll be able to update sooner rather than later next time. I hope you liked it.**

**Sorry,... I was supposed to put this up last week, but I've been caught up in movie making.**

**Oooops. I've only just started getting into it. It's not something I've really ever tried doing before, and I kind-of like it. I've just made two pretty bad / nice music videos of Zoro and Tashigi. :D You can check them out if you want and let me know what you guys think. My name on Youtube is _'Nerdy Empress'. _I'm brand new so I have no followers. :(**

**Video Name: Zoro and Tashigi **

**Music: Souvenirs by Abi Alton **

** watch?v=lwEdV7af10c**

**Video Name: Zoro and Tashigi Treacherous.**

**Music: Treacherous by Taylor Swift**

** watch?v=rh3n6-2vFDs**

**Video Name: ZoTash**

**Music: Shut up and Dance by walk the moon**

** watch?v=Vfp4nRidTUM**


	23. Gambling your Ideals

**Chapter: 23**

**Answers to Reviews Question time!**

**To ConcernedCassher: for review on chapter 17.**

You think I'm making Nami and Robin 'total sluts'? …... Huh? I don't think so. I know where you're coming from but … No. Sure they are suggesting a few things and they act a little flirtatious, but that doesn't mean they are doing that. This story is all about perspective, what you see and what you don't see changes your perspective on what is actually happening. From Tashigi's perspective both Nami and Robin might look like slutty pirates, but that is because that's what she expects them to be from her previously conceived perception of pirates already. She's only just getting used to the crew so she doesn't know them like we do.

Talking about perspective what we have seen in the past in Oda's manga is Robin being awesome and taking the enemy down like flies and now we see Zoro saving her ass constantly and her devil fruit power only being used to back up another character. I'm way more mad about being less useful than Usopp, than the idea of her having a crush on some guy and maybe pursuing him. Just because a woman flirts with a guy doesn't mean she's a slut, and I do think that Robin likes Zoro.

And by the way... Law doesn't have a pretty face, and Robin didn't 'fuck' him as you put it. Robin said she wanted to talk to him in the library and uncover another mystery from his past, but it was You and Tashigi that thought she meant something different because that was the way you read the situation.

Sorry for deceiving you, but I thought that a reader would have been able to tell that both Nami and Robin were poking fun at Tashigi because they liked seeing the over-reaction that she tends to give. No they don't act like that normally, but then again... You know what Nami is rather sluttish, sorry she is. Watch One Piece again and see how she interacts with other characters. She uses her beauty, charm, and ability to lie to get out of difficult situations. She flashes them in Alabasta and demands that they all pay her for it, now that isn't exactly modest. In her own words she has said. "All I care about is Money and Tangerines."

If you expect me to write one of these '_Nami is a cutey__ fanfiction__'_ where she is a perfect loving little timid girl,... then you've come to the wrong place, because that is not how I've seen her behave or act in any circumstance. We are talking about the person who kicks and throws men about when they don't do what she tells them too. …. yeah...

**To ****NeosYukiJudai: ****For review on Chapter 21.**

I don't know whether I'll add any LuNa into this story yet, but I'll see where it goes. What do you mean there isn't enough of it for you to enjoy it? This is supposed to be a ZoTash fanfiction...not a LuNa.

**To Lunachand: For review on Chapter 20.**

I'm glad you think my way of portraying Zoro and Tashigi is interesting. And I agree with you, I think Zoro has a tendency to just do whatever he wants to do when it comes to the way he interacts with people. And You're right he did suggest that they should have forced Vivi to come with them if they had wanted her so badly. What I got most from Zoro's character is that he values truth and strength, which is one of the reasons why he gets on so well in the older episodes of One Piece with Luffy and Chopper and even in some ways Sanji more than Nami and Usopp, because he viewed both of them as manipulative liars.

Law is actually very much how I had imagined Zoro would be if he hadn't been accepted into the dojo at a young age and given purpose. Because Zoro was very bitter and angry back then. It's good to see how Law is actually slowly changing while being with the Strawhats. He's becoming less mean spirited.

**To Mingxingxing: For Review on Chapter 21.**

I'm not a stalker! … I'll take investigator because that sounds cool. So! Yeah, when will the marines notice Tashigi? That's the big question isn't it? But will they?

**To Onepiecelover28: for Review on Chapter 21**

About reading Fanfiction alone in your room... that's normal. I do that as well. Sometimes on a really lazy day I'll just grab the computer and dump it on my stomach and start writing stories like that with my eyes closed. So I know what you mean.

I haven't been able to update during the week this time and that is because I have been doing some late evening shifts at work.

About having a shot at NamixLuffy. I have already. It isn't as long, but I have a few other fanfictions that focus on those two, but I haven't tried writing anything for them as long as this one. But maybe for the future, I'll give it a go when I don't have so many unfinished Fanfiction to go through. :D

**To Scarlet Alapaap: for Review on Chapter 21 and 20.**

Cool! Tashigi's Heart was the first one was it. Nice.

I know. Tashigi tends to blurt out whatever she's thinking, without thinking doesn't she.

And I agree. The kiss was definitely an OMG moment especially when she started kissing him back. That was way too hot.

You think it's interesting!. Good good, I like doing and writing things that are unexpected. I don't think Tashigi needs to do anything just yet concerning the connection to Law, but that might come up at a different time.

**To ****ThaliaSanche: ****For Review on Chapter 21**

Don't worry about being awkward. I like to keep and look at every review, and I like reading everyone's point of view. I'm glad you agree with me on the 'Zoro's to serious thingy'. But then again in fact all them now, apart from Luffy, Franky, and Brook, are a little out of character. They have all basically become emotions that get displayed rather than actual characters.

**Usopp** = still the scared idiot, even though he spent two years training on a people eating plant island.

**Robin** = sarcastic dark-minded woman. Has no use now apart from helping out weak people and making the guys looks awesome, she will occasionally see her doing some arm swatting but that rarely happens.

**Nami** = still likeable … in some ways. Suddenly likes children. Doesn't use her wind or electrocution powers enough. I mean!... she could have use the wind knot to blast away the snow in the biscuit room on Punk Hazard, but she didn't and Zoro saved her ass, Annoying!

I could go on and complain more, but I won't.

It would be rather weird to be heartless. It would be really creepy.

Luffy. He is always fun to write. He is so energetic, fun, and spontaneous.

**To Anonymous: For Review on Chapter 21.**

I take it you don't like LuNa... :D Haha. Don't get paranoid.

**To Odanzz: For Review on Chapter 20**

Thankyou! I'm glad you're liking my story so far. Sanji isn't my favourite, but that's because I just don't understand his craziness, but I like how honest and straight forward he is. He's funny. And Zoro is awesome. I agree with you on that one.

**To Lighningblad49: for Review on Chapter 21.**

Thankyou. I think so too. I can't wait for chapter 26.

**To Guest: For Review on Chapter 21.**

What's up with all this talk about other pairings in this story in particular. I like other pairings, but this story is called Zoro and Tashigi: Hard Lines. It's not called the Strawhats love ship and the Marine. Gosh...

But thankyou by the way for loving the chapters I'll keep it up.

**To JakofTheGrasslands: For Review on Chapter 20.**

Thank you for that. I think the story is good the way it is as well. I might add some more pairings if the situation leads into it, but for now I'm just focusing on the story between Zoro and Tashigi. So you can relax. … OR NOT!

**Well you get the gist of things. Life is mad. And talking about madness. What's up with Baby 5 anyway?**

**I am so happy after having seen the G-guy being taken out of the fighting picture now. I really disliked him. Even more than the glue-goo-gloop man whatever his name was again. **

**Everytime I heard him yell "G!" I felt a wave of annoyance and anger wash over me. He was just so frustrating! Even Pica was more likeable. **

**And now the winner is going to get married to Baby 5...….. "Congratualations! …. yeah... Good luck with her pal. I wish you both happiness. I think..."**

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Hard Lines: Gambling Your Ideals

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My thoughts filled with the pictures of harsh storms and high waves. The skies became purple, lit up with lightning storms and electricity. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The lightning was the epitome of death and life in the same strike. If it was to hit a person full on, it could kill them instantly or at the very least make their hearts stop for a second. The entire strike was filled with a natural living energy that was terrifying to behold. It lit up the skies and danced around as if it was alive.

I jumped when I felt someone flick my nose. "So you were on the island..." Zoro raised an eyebrow. "...why did you decide to go to punk hazard?"

_'Cheeky bastard.' _I rubbed my nose and pushed my glasses back up the ridge.

"We received the same distress call as you guys did." I started. "However when we tried to answer it I don't believe the call would go through. We thought it must have been the interference caused by the island. No one could hear us," I cleared my throat, "but we did hear you."

'_Yes, we sure did. What a moment that was, after two whole years of hearing nothing __but fake reports and fabrications of amateur, Strawhat wannabes. And finally the__reports__ that the Strawhats were in fact back in action. __I__t __had __felt __so__ exciting hearing Strawhat's voice again. We all stopped dead in our tracks._'

I looked back at Luffy. _'__Such a nostalgic feeling hearing __him__ over the Transponder snail.__'_ I carried on. "And so that's when we headed over to Punk Hazard."

Luffy frowned at me. "So what, you weren't going to go and help those guys until you heard we were going first."

_'That's not the response I expected.'_ I cleared my throat. "Yes, I wanted to, but I also have to obey the chain of command. I was the captain of the ship but Smoker was there as well, and he ranks higher than me, and he wanted to stay on Raijin Island. He had even set a trap for you guys there as he was absolutely certain you would come." I ate another mouthful of food trying to get rid of a nagging nervousness that was turning my stomach as Luffy carried on staring at me.

"So, you guys had set a trap huh? Sneaky!" Franky muttered thoughtfully.

"Yes, but I'm really glad you didn't come to the island though. If you guys hadn't gone to Punk Hazard when you did, we wouldn't have got there either in time to save all those children and those deceived workers of Caesar's." I smiled. "I'm really glad we were able to find those missing children, they've been on my mind for months now. The intel we were getting from our sources kept on telling us that they had found no trace of them and that the kids might have died in accidents out to sea, or a common case of drowning."

_'Or it could have been that Admiral Virgo just covered up the trail too well.' _I sighed._ 'It all made so much sense now as to why there were so many disappearances in that area. Virgo was probably sending the co-ordinates, of ships with families on board or the names of families in slightly run down towns or parts of the cities, to the Dolflamingo family and they would have just picked off kids that they thought wouldn't be missed immediately. And some parents reported that the children had been taken from a local park or were abducted from their very homes.' _

I felt another rush of righteous anger flood through my veins._ 'And he was there right beside me the whole time complimenting my work and detective skills trying to dissuade me from looking for them right under my very nose. Flattering me, and mocking everything the marines stand for.' _

_**'The damned, disgusting fool. He had spent years in the Marines! How could he still have been so devoted to Dolflamingo that he could send innocent children to the slaughter!? It doesn't make any sense. And he had the audacity to tell me that the parents' own worry over their children was unfounded, and that the children hadn't been kidnapped, but simply lost at sea. "They're in a state of denial." That's what he said!'**_

_**'And I allowed him to speak! To poison my judgement! I listened to him and looked up to him! How many children did he send to that creep Caesar!? How many of them died before we got there?! How many could I have saved if I had followed my own judgement and searched all the local islands and impounded both Marine and trade ships and searched those too. If I had been more thorough and strict I could have prevented their suffering and pain. I will prevent that in the future. Virgo should never have been allowed to go up in the ranks. They should have checked his background. If I had a higher rank I could have done the right thing sooner.'**_

"Oi Tashy!?" I jumped out of my mind trance and looked up at Luffy who seemed to be very busy picking his nose. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, just Punk Hazard." I shook my head of the heavy memories and smiled. "I'm glad we were able to work well with you guys and were able to escape. I wish more pirates were like you. It would make maintaining balance in the world much easier. Even if you are a little insane."

Luffy frowned. "Insane? What does that mean?"

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, shaking my head in amazement. "It means you do things impulsively, and don't seem to think things through to a more logical conclusion. It means you are the opposite of being sane, which is to be calm, intelligent, rational, reasonable, responsible, sound, well, and smart."

Luffy grinned. "Cool! I don't really get what you're trying to say but that sounds fun. You're really smart aren't you?"

"Haaa..." I let out a sigh of acceptance. "Thank you." '_They was nothing that could be done for him if he can't even understand the basics. He's a mad as his grandfather. Sort of makes me wonder what his father's like.' _

I looked back at him nodding. "Even if you are a little unhinged, bizarre, and derailed you're still strong and kind, I don't see why the officials at HQ don't ask you to become a Warlord instead of those other cruel, rabid pirates that they have elected."

Luffy scrunched up his nose. "No thanks."

"Why not?" I asked. "That way you could do whatever you pleased on the seas, have you own crew as always, and basically keep a hold of your dream and carry on doing what you've been doing so far. Apart from attacking HQ, that wouldn't be advisable."

Zoro cleared his throat. When I looked back at him he wasn't even looking at us. It was as if he was ignoring our entire conversation. _'What was wrong with what I said?'_ I looked at Sanji and Franky, even they seemed to be silent and looking elsewhere too. Kinemon was looking on just as confused as I was. '_Did I just say something taboo in the pirate world or something? I thought most pirates dreamed of having the threat of the navy extinguished from their lifestyle. Most Pirates would jump at the opportunity to become a Warlord. __Not that I would be able to offer that oportunity, but I thought they'd at least be interested.__'_

Luffy smiled back at me. "It might be fun for a while, but I don't want to become a Warlord Pirate for the Marines, I want to become the King of the Pirates."

"Really?" I asked. "You would give up an opportunity like that, why?"

Strawhat grinned. "Because a pirate is free. The king of the pirates is the one on the seas who is the most free right?!"

I frowned looking back at him. I stared at him trying to see any hint of mirth in his words that might indicate he was trying to make a fool out of me, but he seemed to be telling the truth, or his perspective of the truth. '_So he thinks the freest man on the seas was given the title the Pirate King then. How strange.'_

"I see." I nodded acknowledging my understanding for Luffy's madness. _'The king of the crude, __the coarse,__ and __the untameable.__ That's what the king of the pirates was, but then again that is just my opinion and that won't matter in this group they already have their hearts' set on their goals. Well I suppose I can be thankful that they have kind hearts and a good Captain.' _

**'Bang!' **

I turned around to look in the direction where the sound of the door opening had been heard. There was silence in the bar/restaurant as a group of people entered. They were all dressed in a strange uniform of sorts and they all carried loaded arms._ 'Oh, no. Are these guys Dolflamingo's minions. Have they discovered us already?'_

"Look at what just breezed in." Zoro muttered.

"They're Dolflamingo's men." Kinemon said.

"You had better finish eating." Sanji said. "They're going to make the food taste bad soon. I can just feel their poison from here."

The intruders set their eyes on the roulette table and the man that had been serving the customers there left immediately along with the other customers. As they all gathered around Admiral Issho Fujitora as he sat looking on in blind calmness.

I stood up. '_Oh no, this is bad. If they try and cheat __Admiral Issho Fujitora __they'll have hell to pay, and if he learns that the strawhats are here __too,__ there would be no way they could escape him, yet. Not as they are. They're strong and all, but he's supposed to have the ability to bind someone to ground with a gravitational pull of sort.'_

"We have too leave now." I whispered to the others. "Come on."

"Huh? Why?" Luffy said with a mouthful.

I pointed back in the direction of the roulette table. "That's why."

"It's just an old man playing a game." Luffy said through the gaps of food clobber.

"Weren't you paying attention earlier?" I frowned and carried on whispering. "I said he is an Admiral. His name is Fujitora and he's really dangerous. You mustn't confront him. We need to leave."

"Oh." Luffy looked over to them and watched as the crowd of creepy looking bandits seemed to gather around the older and blind man. One man lifted up his betting coins and set them upon the table. "Oooooh. That looks like they're about to have a fun game. Let's go watch and see."

"No..." I tried grabbing his hand, but I let go instantly as his fingers started to stretch. _'I can't give away __our__ position __(I mean their position) __just yet __if they want their plan to work... But then again if I approach Fujitora and tell him the plan anyway maybe that might give us a clear advantage. __Maybe the marines could help if they knew what was going on. Yes! That was a brilliant idea. I'll just pretend to go over there to keep an eye on Luffy and slip Fujitora the info we have on Dolflamingo's transactions, and how at this moment the marines would be wise to file the devious warlord's ordeals against him. Yes, I'll do it.'_

I turned back to the others, who were all sitting still finishing up the remnants of their food and pointed in Luffy's direction. "I'm just going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid okay. Don't worry. Just carry on eating."

Sanji shook his head. "Your kindness is breathtaking, my beautiful princess, but it's wasted on Luffy. I can assure you. There nothing in his head that seems to process logical thought, as you said earlier he's totally instinctive."

"I know that, I'm just going to keep an eye on him." I smiled and stepped towards the newly gathered crowd of ruffians surrounding the roulette table.

'Now all I need to do is try and find a way to get close enough without attracting the attention of the blaguards of those who are playing.

"To bad for you it's black." an ugly man in an orange scarf leaned onto the table and grinned.

"I'll go again. White Please."

I watched Luffy out of the corner of my eye. He was still busy eating the noddles and sea food from his plate to notice me. _'Now all I need to do is tell him, I can't use a traditional paper slip because that would be stupidly useless. Oh... why did you have to be a blind man?'_

"White Please." He said.

_'Now. I should tell him now.' _I saw him turn his head slightly as if he could somehow hear my thoughts without actually hearing me speak. One of the men threw the ball into the dish and spun it. The game was on._ 'I'll tell him, just after this one...'_

"What wrong with you?" I jumped a bit as I felt an unexpected arm slip around my waist. I looked up into the face of Roronoa. "...ditching me like that, just because you think this guy's more lucky." Zoro pulled me back out of reach from the roulette table. I looked back at Fujitora and then back up at Zoro fully expecting an explanation of sorts but he just kept on pushing me towards the other side of the room nearer the window.

'_He's looking really … __D__id__ he __guess__ what I was about to do just__ now?' _

"Perhaps I need to prove to you again just how lucky I am." He said and indicated to his left nudging me in that direction as well. I looked over and saw a small door off to the corner. _'Did he want to talk?'_ I looked back to Fujitora. _'But I really needed to speak with him, and let him know what's going on. __If only...__'_

Zoro started walking in that direction and before I realized I wasn't stationary he had already moved me there as well. "Zoro, you need to wait a moment. I've got something to do. What are you doing? I need to establish a ..."

"No." We passed through the doorway into a dark, dimly-lit room.

I explained. "But you don't understand. I could..."

Zoro grabbed my face and kissed me. My heart would have skipped a beat if it had been inside me, and I was quite sure that wherever it was it had probably bounced several of centimeters in the air. _'Has __he __been __saving this one up since this morning__._ _W__hat the hell? What brought this on? __No, wait a minute. __We're in public! What is he doing!? We can't be! __If someone sees... __No! This is too embarrassing!' _

I pulled myself away from him and looked around us and towards the door. No one could see us from this angle. _'What a relief.'_ I let out a sigh, and turned back to him. "What do you think you're doing? Now is not the time or place for this sort of nonsense." I indicated between the two of us.

"And what about you? What were you planning on doing?" He said. He had a keen look in his eye as if he had been reading my mind.

I frowned at him. "Something that could benefit us all in the long run."

"No, it would hinder us." Zoro had his scowl back on his face again. "Do you really think the marines have come here to this island to take down it's leader. No. More likely they've got an arrangement with these guys in trade and have been called here by bird man himself to protect him."

"No that's not it." I insisted.

Zoro pressed his large body against mine and whispered into my ear. "Don't do anything yet. We can't trust him."

I spoke quietly struggling to get out words that would actually make sense. "Do... don't be foolish. You need more help." I felt myself get hotter in embarrassment.

_'What __am I even doing here anyway, what __if someone recognises me? I got disguises for the Strawhats but not one for myself.'_

Zoro continued. "The Marines don't want to dethrone an ex-pirate. What do you think would become of the people of this country if they did?" He straightened up and I caught a reflection of something like sorrow in his serious grey eye, while the other one with the cut scratched through it, seemed to be making a point or when one should or shouldn't trust.

I pushed my glasses up as I continued to argue my case. "Not letting me communicate with possible allies will be a major problem. Bad communication has been the downfall of civilizations in the centuries that have past."

"And the same can be said for trusting the wrong people at the wrong time." Zoro whispered.

"Not if I can talk to him first." My breath got caught in my throat when he grabbed the front of my shirt and held me up on the wall.

"Not now." His grip released only then to take a hold of my jaw in his hand and looked me dead in the eyes. He spoke seriously and without hesitation. "Not yet."

I frowned for a moment at his lack of reliance in my judgement, but then the memory of Virgo came to mind. '_Maybe he's right. Maybe I am too quick to trust. I seem to trust people according to their place in society. Believing in the system that put them there rather than my own personal experiences with the individual myself.__'_

Zoro took me back then, avoiding the roulette area, and towards the strawhats' delegated space. His arm was on my lower back. _'__It's as if he__'__s acting like we were a couple or something.__'_ I felt angry with him for using my attraction for him to distract me and to somehow diffuse my anger, but at the same time I couldn't find fault in his reasoning either.

"White Please." Fujitora said again. And the sound of the ball on the spinning roulette table echoed in my ears along with all the sounds of different cutlery hitting plates from all the separate tables. I submerged into my thoughts.

It made sense. _'I might know the real truth behind Dolflamingo's actions and want to take him down and out of the picture, but to another Marine official that might look reckless and foolish. But surely they received my message that I sent to them. I called for back up at Punk Hazard didn't I? __I let them know what was going on at Punk Hazard, but then again... what aspect of that did the newspaper focus on again. Law and Luffy teaming up, and Dolflamingo abdicating from the throne. That's what they focused on. They didn't focus on what we had even accomplished. Who had in fact caused the demolition of the island all those years ago.__'_

I sat back down at the table and reached for my glass of water. '_I keep forgetting that I'm actually a prisoner __of war, a prisoner__ of the strawhat pirates, __and prisoners' shouldn't have any say in what the crew does in the__ir__ free time__. __A damned prisoner of the cursed, black, pirate flag.__' _

… _**'A prisoner of love you mean.'**_

… _'No. I'm not. It's just momentarily attraction. I'm attracted to Zoro, yes, but that's not love.' … _

… _'__**Don't be fooled by them. They don't have the same goals as us. They are here for glory, **__**greed,**__** and revenge. We are here for the people**__. …__**and a little bit for the glory too... and a bit for revenge too.'**_

…_. '__Oh dear... we're a lot more similar to them than we had initially thought though.'_

… _**'No! **__**we're**__** utterly different! I am **__**utterly different. I'm **__**nothing like a pirate!**__' _

… _'no, but __we're not, but I'm just__ a bit like them...__ They are not just here for those reasons __I__ thought before...__ there's more to Zoro than that.'_

… _**'Your a fool.'**_

I looked at Zoro again. '_There's just something about him that I can't place on my personal people reader. In Logue Town I thought he was just a sexist jerk, __that was used to having everything handed out to him. __but he's not, he's just kinder than I thought he should be. I thought he was just a mindless talented brute, but he's not mindless or a brute, but extremely talented. I thought he was a liar, but he's more __directly __truthful than any man I've known so far. I thought he would be a dominating force to be reckoned with on the strawhat crew, but he rarely exerts his authority and strength over the rest of the crew, very unlike many of the swordsmen I know from training in the Marines. He even lets those who are weaker than him on the crew boss him about, and in doing so gives them courage to face even stronger opponents than what they would be used to.' _

_'He's a total and utter paradox of his life style and the choices that he has made. How can a man like him remain so … untwisted in this line of work. …. sure he's a little devious, but he's kind and straight forward about it.'_

Zoro ate another mouthful before turning back around to glance at the roulette table again. Fujitora seemed to be loosing. '_Yeah right, more like the other people were cheating. Fujitora had the ability some said to see the future and that's why he didn't even need his eye sight.' _

_'I hope he can see the future. See what this country had been hiding for a decade. See how corrupted the Warlord was.'_

Zoro turned back around again and looked back at me. "What are you staring at?"

I huffed. "Nothing in particular."

'_I have no idea anymore. I shouldn't be putting my trust in these people, but I'm doing it again for the third time. There is just something about them that I __just __like.' _

I felt his warm palm on my wrist and looked down at it watching his fingers clasp my hand. For the upteenth time in the past few days, I liked the strength I could feel there. But strength wasn't everything. I cleared my throat and looked up at the rest of the group sitting around the table. Sanji seemed to be steaming with what looked like bottled in anger, and both Franky and Kinemon where giving Zoro and me blank stares as if what we were doing wasn't computing at all and they thought whatever we were doing was weird.

I looked back down at my hand, but not back up at him. I tilted my head a little bit and spoke in a quite voice. "Can I really trust you?" I felt a cold shiver go down my spine as the truthful, guilt-ridden words hit into my very core.

…_**... 'What are you doing!? You can never trust a pirate! Once a pirate always a pirate! Remember! That's what we decided on years and years ago remember! Remember! Remember!'**_

Zoro was silent for a moment and he lifted my chin up with a closed fist. His grey eye kept a hold of both of mine. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "No. Only you can decide that. I can't tell you whom to trust or what to believe if you don't want to believe it."

I nodded in understanding and almost sighed with relief. He hadn't said yes, and that was because he was an honest person. I turned my hand around under his own so that it was palm up and slipped my fingers between his own. I had never met a man who was this honest. Even if the answer wasn't the one I had wanted to hear, it was the right one. It wasn't a lie.

"I … I want to trust you." I spoke softly.

He turned a bit in his chair, his hand letting go of mine for a moment as his right hand took its place, letting his free left hand to rest on the back of my chair. He looked back at me. "Are you sure?"

I found that my words got stuck in my throat as the seriousness of my betrayal for all that I had stood for came to mind. It had gotten to this point. The point where I was actually trusting a pirate over my own people. If Smoker or my own crew was here I would trust them, but he wasn't and neither were they. Thankfully Zoro wasn't in a gloating mood right now, and remained serious.

I had to remain with the strawhats anyway until I could get my heart back somehow. I swallowed and nodded. I slowly accepted the interesting possibilities of this new form of justice that the Strawhats seemed to like layering out on their enemies.

I finally set my jaw and spoke with clarity in a low voice. "I will help you as much as I can. And I won't hinder you, but I shaln't hurt or betray the marines. So don't ask me."

Zoro nodded in understanding and leaned forward knocking his forehead against mine. I shut my eyes and just allowed us to rest there like that. It was nice almost refreshing to admit to trusting this man.

"What are you two mumbling on about?" Kinemon asked. "And why are you acting so weird?"

Zoro's nose moved and I knew what he wanted before he did it and so I beat him too it and with a small tilting of the head and an opening of the lips I kissed him.

This was the kiss of trust. '_Combining both attraction and trust in a relationship... I don't think I've actually had this sort of feeling for anyone else before. That's a good __start for__ … __I mean __bad start I suppose. __With him being a pirate and all. __Well, at least now I know what I want to look out for in a few future … possible … guy._'

Zoro broke off the kiss and we both instantly looked away, focusing on the small scrapings of a meal infront of us.

"Wow." Franky spoke into the silence that seemed to be gripping the table by it's teeth. "That wasn't expected." He grinned. "You two like each other, huh? That's super!"

"What the hell was that!?" Sanji stood up and glared back at Zoro. "How could you surprise Tashigi like that?!"

Zoro blushed a bit, and then chuckled at Sanji's expense. "I heard someone mutter a while back that this was an amazing country, where Romance ruled every corner." Sanji scrunched up his nose in frustration at being caught out by his own past enthusiasm.

Zoro laughed dryly as if he found the memory funny. He picked up another forkful of food and raised it to his lips. He continued. "...Where the women are passionate enough to kill the men who break their hearts." He ate the food and put the fork back on his plate. His eye seemed to focus on one point of the table as if contemplating his crazy actions.

I frowned at his choice of words. **'****Where the women are passionate enough to kill ****the ****men who break the****i****r hearts.****'** 'It's so strange. A little while ago, like a couple of years ago. That was me. _That was me who wanted to murder him two years ago for refusing to kill me in defeat. I want__ed__ to kill Zoro then._' I looked back at him. _'It's both terrifying and funny how situations change...?'_

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**end of chapter 23.**

**I wasn't quite sure whether to put in a trust building moment here or later on and I thought here would be a good chapter to do it in. but let me know. :D**

**.**

**I'm sorry it's taken so long to update this time. I've just moved house so I've been unpacking and doing that sort of stuff. I've also been watching a few Batman/DC series... **

**. The Batman**

**. Batman: The Animated Series**

**. Batman Beyond**

**. Teen Titans... (**not teen titans go)

**. Young Justice**

**I love them all. Give them a go if you want. They're awesome.**


	24. The Black Pit

**Chapter ****24:**

**I can't believe it's the fourteenth...days later... 31st of December already. What happened to the year 2015? It went by so fast!**

**So... what will my goals be for 2016...? I have no feak'n idea. **

**Goal 1. Try to finish some of my fanfiction.**

**Goal 2. Try and write a story that would be worth publishing.**

**Goal 3. Get another job.**

**Goal 4. Travel! And save to visit Sister in New Zealand. Maybe pop over and visit Japan during the same visit period. **

**Goal 5. Save money to buy a harp, Learn to play the harp, and perform places... maybe **

**Goal 6. Maybe get a boyfriend. …. that would be nice, but no one to high maintenance. Got to keep my life chilled.**

**Yeah, I think that's good enough for now. **

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Hard Lines: The Black Pit

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The entire room seemed to have stilled into silence and only the loud sound of a rolling ball on a rotating roulette table could be heard. The board stopped suddenly and the ball clanked, rolling and jumping about before finally settling into place.

The blind man sighed and seemingly nervous gripped the table having just bet all his winnings on this one last spin. "So what is it?" He asked impatiently.

There was a painful silence. "I guess the fact that you're not answering means that it's white, right?" His face lit up in happiness at the prospect.

"Too bad for you, gramps!" The opposite player grabbed a hold of the man's hair and pulled his head up.

"You mean..." His smile dropped.

"That's right!" The devious man grinned in his deceitful bliss. **"It's..!"**

"It's White." A clear, young voice rang out and there was a sudden gasp for people all around the roulette table as they all turned to look at the young lad that had been watching them all for some time.

I was just about to stand up and get up for the immediate fight when I felt Zoro's hand on my shoulder.

'_Not yet then.' _I let out my built up frustration in a sigh.

I could feel the tension in the room build even more as the man whom had been contradicted at the table glared at Luffy. "No. It's black. You should keep out of this kid."

"Nope. It's white. You've won, old man." Luffy mumbled over chewing his mouthful.

"Stay out of this! It doesn't concern you!" The lying creep replied agitatedly.

"That's right!" His crowd of thugs joined in raising their swords and pistols. "You wanna die!?"

At their threats and Luffy's bland ignorance of them, everyone else in the restaurant began to stare in shock and amazement at the gall of the young man before them. "Who is that guy?!" and "What does he think he's doing."

An old man muttered under his breath and a few more whispered in the background hoping not to be heard. "Doesn't he know who he's up against?!"

_'Yes, he does seem a bit insane from time to time.' _I shook my head in understanding._ 'I know exactly what they mean. However, he's far more trouble than what he at first seems to be. You can't really overestimate Monkey D. Luffy.'_

"And there he goes, butting in again." Sanji spoke with tired annoyance as he poured himself another glass of wine before Zoro could finish the entire bottle.

"Shouldn't we do something now?" I asked them. They didn't move or even budge a little bit, but they continued to watch in silence. '_Well if they think he's fine, then it's fine...'_

"Damn bastard!" One of the green covered, skinned cronies threatened. "This was going so well!"

"D...Did I really win?" The blind man knelt down before him and asked Luffy stuttering.

"Yup. You sure did." Luffy answered with his mouth full spitting out a few of the sauces he was swallowing and catching it in his beard.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you so much for your kindness!" He smiled in Luffy's general direction.

I frowned. _'Is that man really Fujitora? Surely he doesn't act like this?__' '__**Now,**__** I'm really starting **__**to believe in that nonsense theory that every human has a double.**__**' **_

"Don't mention it. I just said what I saw. Congratulations. But you're really good at this, huh, old gramps."

Angry at being ignored the blond-haired idiot behind Luffy pushed himself forward. "Quit being so insolent, kid!" and at his words as if they were code for attack, five of his men leapt towards Luffy with all their weapons drawn and raised high as if they intended to cut him down right then and there.

"If we say it's black then it's black!" "He can't see anyway, so what does it matter!?" "You're such a bother!" "Die!" And just before they reached Luffy Fujitora was attacked by their boss,who strangely enough ended up on the floor with Fujitora standing over him.

"Oh my, Did I just accidentally trip a giant boar?" Fujitora laughed heartily as if he had told a brilliant joke. "If so, then I apologize."

The tripped over, shamed leader of theirs groaned helplessly on the floor as his croons ganged up on the real winner of the game. "Bastard!" They all yelled.

"Oh my, this won't do." Fujitora muttered under his breath. "Young man, could you step aside for a bit?" Luffy nodded and stepped aside. "I'm gonna send these guys down to hell, see."

The leader's pride still giving him strength stood up and raised his sword. "Kill him!"

In a rush of green the entire team moved forward on Fujitora.

He hardly seemed to move out all, but as each man or woman came towards him he cut them across the middle slicing their stomachs just a little, but crippling them as they became shocked by the idea that they could be hurt by a blind man. He ran past them all and finally stopped. In horror they all looked at their stomachs fully expecting a deep gash to appear infront of them and for blood to be spilling out everywhere. But as they looked they saw that there was nothing. Not even a cut had grazed their clothes. They looked up in mocking satisfaction towards Fujitora.

_'They are so dead. Those idiots.'_

I stood up, pushing off Zoro's hand, and going closer trying to get a better look.

Fujitora started making his way across the room and as he did the looks on the fools' faces changed as they realized they couldn't move. There was a heaviness in the air that was stifling and seemed to leave your ears throbbing. Suddenly, as if they couldn't take it any longer they all fell to the ground as if an invisible ceiling had just crushed them. They were just lying there flattened when the building began to creak long and strange. It was a nerve racking sound, like the building's first and only words as if it were a death squeak. And that was a squeak, as if it were being twisted and pulled into a shape that it wasn't accustomed too.

I looked back down at the faces of the offenders on the floor and for the first time that evening felt sorry for them. Then barely being able to utter his words the leader of the group whispered in desperation. "It's... it's breaking." As if gravity had heard his whisper the ground beneath them fell away and a giant hole appeared where they had been standing and lying. They all screamed as they fell into, what appeared to everyone else, a bottomless pit, and disappeared from view. Their cries could be heard a little longer after that but soon those too faded into nothingness, but no sound came up from any apparent smash that one would have expected to hear when their bodies hit the bottom.

I took a deep breath. _'That must be terribly far down. __Very very far down.__'_

Fujitora turned around and sighed in apparent sadness as his blind eyes somehow seemed to see where Luffy was standing, and made his way over to him.

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**I know this one was a very short chapter, but I thought that should be enough for now.**

**To Kagurami: For the Review on Chapter 10, 12, and 18. **

I'm glad you have like these chapters so far. I also really liked chapter 18, it was a hard one to write. :D

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**To Meli-chan: For the review on chapter 23.**

I'm so glad I'm your wish full-filler. :D

It's funny that you paused it at that moment right there. :D Because when I watched that a year or so ago I also paused it as well, to look and search for a fanfiction about Zoro and Tashigi. I was so depressed that I couldn't find anything worth while and good enough to read I decided to skip ahead of my first story Tashigi's Heart and start writing right there where I had paused the anime. And I'm glad I did.

I tend to find a lot of writers (including Oda) out there tend to write Tashigi as an annoying, stupid, arrogant bystander, which I think is slightly sad considering how much of an interesting character she could be, and how much she could improve. And having an ambition of collecting swords or taking them back from the hands of the corrupt is an incredible task that is very much over-looked or really just forgotten about. As is Nami's drawing skills and her designing her map of the world, and Robin's thirst and hunger for knowledge. I have a feeling that Oda seems to have forgotten what made his characters so brilliantly fascinating to begin with and now simply seems to be content with making cheap jokes about them and not really progressing them further.

What I would really like to see is an episode which focuses on the Marines again, and shows us some old footage of Smoker stacking up stones again and just smoking out a room. And shows us Tashigi in her Captain's courters on her ship that has Katana from all four seas up on her wall with marks, and empty spaces outlined for future prizes to go. That would be so much fun.

Anyway enough of that...

Thank you so much for your review! I was overjoyed to receive it and I'm glad you have enjoyed the story so far.

To mintlover360: for Review on Chapter 23

I'm glad you have been able to catch up. I know it can be a little daunting to keep on reading a story when it gets this long, but it'll be worth it I promise. :D

Thank you.

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**To Scarlet Alapaap: For Review on Chapter 23**

Thanks for pointing out the errors in my work. Sometimes, I write things so quickly I don't think it through enough or reread it. Accepted and Excepted. So stupid of me. :P

I'm glad that you are still reading my story. I hope you continue to like it.

**.**

**To ****ThaliaSanchez: ****For Review on Chapter 23**

Of Course the original Teen Titans are better. The teen titans go are an embarrassment to watch.

I have also been wondering whether or not they should kiss in front of the others... I wasn't sure about it... I ummmed and arrrred about it for a while, but decided to put it in because although Zoro didn't want to force Tashigi to decide to do something against her own judgement, he was also afraid that if she did decide to trust the marine and he did end up being trustworthy then she would probably end up being taken away from him. Zoro doesn't usually show his feelings outwardly unless he is one hundred percent sure about his own goals and place he needs to play.

So, although I do think the majority of that scene in Tashigi's mind-set was about trust, I also think Zoro was playing her. Not in a bad way, but he knows her better now, and knows how much she values truth, but also how much she likes to be challenged. If when she had asked him, **"Can I really trust you?"** and he had answered yes, she would then have been either taken with him and trusted him or she would start wondering whether or not he could be trusted totally. So, by answering, **"****No. ****Only you can decide that. I can't tell you ****whom**** to ****trust or ****what to****believe if you don't want to believe it."** He not only has made the decision entirely hers but has also made her work for her own trust in him, making himself more desirable and harder to get a reading on, while giving her more freedom at the same time as less understanding as to who or what he is like.

At the time he wanted her to feel comfortable in their group and make her feel special, but still wanted to have control of their relationship and move it forward making it obvious to bystanders and on-lookers that they might in fact be a couple, making it almost impossible for Tashigi to turn him down.

I know a lot of people see Zoro as some sort of innocent meat-head that doesn't think things through, but I don't. I think Zoro is a lot smarter than people give him credit for, and has the potential to be quite a nasty, bad-ass crime boss in the future.

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**To Madagascar: For Chapter 23 . Nov 19 **

I'll keep Justice League and Static Shock in mind for when I'm looking out for things to watch next.

About Zoro and Robin... I think he comes to save her a few too many times for my sake. She should be allowed to stand on her own two feet for once and not have anyone come to save her. Ever since she has joined the crew I got the impression that she was flirting sort of off and on with him from occasion to occasion, but so far I am one of the few that doesn't think that there should be anything going on between them. However I did ship her and him for a small amount of time doing the episode in skypia.

As to whom I could see Robin with or how she thinks, I think she is more attracted to outgoing, driven, and enthusiastic people like Luffy or his father. I sort of, would quite like it if she got to know Dragon more. And I think she has quite a dark sense of humour and a very naughty mind as most of her phrases that she comes out with when she does speak, tend to sound very bitter, provocative, or depressing. I also think she has a double personality. She has the crushed sad side of her that just wants to be loved and accepted by people, and she has the cruel and calculating side of her that is looking to poke fun at people and laugh at their expense. If she ever did get into a relationship with anyone, I imagine her being difficult to cope with as she would drift between the two. One day being totally loving, kind and considerate and the next being very with-drawn, cold, and serious.

Which is another reason why I don't think she and Zoro would make a good couple because I think they both have a tendency to withdraw from a group setting and become quite self-focused. Which could also make them both seem lonely and bitter. They both need someone that has a lot of happiness to give them. Which is why I think Tashigi would make a good companion for Zoro and Sanji would make a better companion for Robin if he wasn't such a common flirt. If he only showed her appreciation I think he might have a chance at winning her heart.

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To mingxingxing: for the Review on Chapter 23.

Yes, they did let Luffy run wild and why not. :D They done it before, why not let him do it again.

I like to think of those kisses as the kisses of testing rather than trusting. Because although Tashigi is starting to think that she can trust Zoro they are actually both testing each other out, and checking to see if the other is as reliable as they are hoping.

By the way I have watched Ouran High School Host Club, and Tamaki is Sanji, but with a bit more class, wealth, and elegance that makes him go further with the ladies. And Also Unlike Sanji Tamaki has a more Luffy personality that makes him want to adopt random people into his circle of friends whether they be boy or girl, whereas Sanji only treats Women with adoration and men in forced contempt, Tamaki views himself as the handsome teacher that all men should see and watch.

Tamaki sees himself as a beautiful sight to behold and to aspire to become.

Sanji sees women as beautiful creatures to behold and hold up higher than himself, which is quite distructive.

I agree this Dressrosa Arc has gone on for too long especially in the anime. It's almost 100 episodes in and still not seeing a very clear ending yet. 

**To The Keeper of World: For the Review on Chapter 23. NOV 17**

I'm glad you have found this to be awesomely intense. I'll try to keep it that way for you guys. :D


	25. Beware the Fairies

Hard Lines: Beware of the fairies

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Sanji's ciguette fell from his mouth. "Eh?! What was That!"

"What did he do?" Franky exclaimed.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the people fall back away from the place where the fight had almost taken place. _'It wasn't much of a fight more like a slaughter. I'm glad now I had the sense not to challenge him. __It would appear that n__ot all marines a slackers, obviously.'_

"Wow! You made a hole!" Luffy yelled as he inspected the gaping gap in the floor. He walked right up to it having no problem being near to the guy that had just made a well in the middle of a restaurant.

"Being blind has its advantages. Because there are many filthy things in this world that I would rather not look at." His voice sounded growly as if he was angry and sure why not he had good reason to be. With Cheaters not only trying to cheat him out of his money, but also trying to kill him as well, they had it coming.

Inch by small inch a few of the other guests crept closer to the gaping hole in the floor and gasped as they looked down into it.

"Please excuse me." the old man said.

"Who is that?" I heard some guy whisper.

"Was that a devil fruit ability?" Sanji crossed his arms and put his cigarette back in his mouth.

"Probably, but what type of ability was it?" I muttered. 'I_t's not every day you get to see something like that happen before you.'_

The marine guy made his way to the desk at the entrance. "I'm very sorry for the trouble. You can send the request for compensation to this address.

"Uh, I see..." the speechless cashier spoke softly almost rendered speechless. '_It's not like she was going to argue with him and demand payment right then and there after seeing what he just did to her other regular clients. I doubt that the mingo guy will be all that understanding when he finds out what happened here, but then again if no one tells him how his subordinates died he'll have no one to blame. But then again maybe he won't care all that much to look for lost men and women. Sucks to be them.'_

The Cashier looked down at the piece of paper again as soon as he turned his head. "What! Sir, are you...?!

"Excuse me." He replied with a firm tone in his voice. '_It's evident that he doesn't want everyone to know who he is. Smart move. If people find out that a warlord's underlings were trying to mug a marine official there might just be hell to pay.'_

"You're really strong, old guy!" Luffy spoke up, sounding cheerful. "Who are you? are you some Marine guy!?"

_'What the hell does he think he's doing!? Tashigi told us all who he was. We do not want to get involved with him just yet. Why can't you just back off Luffy. Idiot.'_

"It would seem... that it'd be better for the both of us if I didn't tell you." Fujitora muttered carefully before walking out the door and closing it softly behind him.

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going!?" Some random dude in the room split the silence to say.

"I'm very sorry. Are you hurt?"

A man was walking back towards his table after inspecting the gap in the floor and suddenly screamed. "Hey! My bag is gone!"

I shook my head. '_It doesn't matter how nice a place can look there's always bound to be a pick pocketer somewhere. Dumbass shouldn't have been lured away from his table by the swam of people inspecting the hole.'_

"My watch is gone!" yelled his companion.

_'Watch? Wouldn't that have been on his wrist. Damn that's clumsy.'_

A woman with blond hair screamed. "Where'd my wallet go?!"

I closed my eyes and tried to drown out the sudden cries and screeches that everyone started to make. '_They were probably able to sneak in when the cloud of dust rose into the air __caused by__ the floor __when it__ gave way under the gravity push thing the guy did.'_

"Did the old guy pickpocket everyone, or something?" Sanji speculated.

'_No, there is no way he would have done it. He didn't have __the __mindset for it.'_

Tashigi suddenly appeared infront of Sanji with a scowl on her face. "Don't go speculating such ridiculous nonsense." She said pointing her finger. "he is blind and kind and isn't capable of it."

Sanji looked ashamed. "Yes, of course my sweetpea! But if you had been mistaken and he wasn't in fact your friend and just some old man, then maybe he might have done it. I'm just keeping all our options open."

She continued glaring. "There is no way that I'm mistaken. And he is not the thief." She turned around to the rest of us. "Now, did any of you notice someone walking around as you guys were sitting here the entire time, and has anything been stolen from us?"

I shook my head looked around the table. "I didn't see anyone, and nothing..." I turned towards my chair and there was only two of my katanas there. I felt my jaw drop. _'This is impossible!'_ "One of them is missing!"

Tashigi looked as if someone had just slapped her across the face. "WHAT!?"

"What do you mean?" Kinemon looked down at me, and then proceeded to look under the table. "It could just have fallen."

"No. It's gone!" I exclaimed and reached for my remaining swords.

Tashigi lunged forward and got them first, grabbing a hold of both Wado Ichimonji and Kitestu the third and hugging them tightly as if her life depended on it. "Where's Shuusui!?" She looked around the room her eyes glaring at everything and everyone before resting back on me. "How dare you loose that sword!"

"It's not my fault!" I glared back at her.

"What?! The treasure of the Wano Kingdom!?" Kinemon added. "How dare you!"

"Stop blabbering at me and leave it! The sword was mine!" I turned my back on both of them and looked under the table and the next one. "Damn it! Where did it go!?" '_The guy that stole my sword is going to regret ever being born.'_

Tashigi started running about the room looking into all the nooks and crannies and checking anyone that so happened to have a sword on their hip.

"It seems everyone's been had." A voice cried out.

**'BOOM! BOOM! BOM! BOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOM! BOM!'**

The sound of a drum sounded in the background and we all looked to see where it was. The toy that had been playing the drum suddenly stopped and announced in a clear non toy-like voice. "The fairies stole them."

_'I've had enough. There is no way in hell! They're covering for the thief!'_

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I yelled in the damn toy's direction "Is that some sort of stupid pet name for a criminal organization?"

**'BOOM! BOOM! BOM! BOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOM! BOM!'**

The little stupid looking toy cleared his fake throat again. "Fairies are fairies, You just have to laugh and accept what they do."

"I can't laugh at this!" I felt my temper increase.

The dumb toy continued. "The fairies cannot be seen, but they have been the guardians of Dress Rosa for generations." The toy bent sideways in a way that made him look like he was falling to pieces mentally and physically. "We must turn a blind eye to whatever they do!"

"Good grief... well, if it's the fairies doing... I guess there's nothing for it." a woman said to her toy companion.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I shook my head.

"Indeed!" Kinemon added. "That is a national treasure of the Wano Kingdom!"

"No! It's my sword!" I glared at Kinemon as I stood up to talk some sense into him, but before I could retaliate Tashigi pushed both Wado Ichimonji and Kietetsu back on me and then leaping over a chair and dashing towards the toy she grabbed a hold of the drum from it's wooden hands before using it to bash and flatten the wooden thing to the floor.

She looked mad. "No Fairy has ever helped me in the past! And I see no damned reason that any fairy would have need for wallets, purses, bags, and swords. If they need anything it would have been the food!" She pulled the toy back up off the floor. "They have no use for weapons, and so if I don't get back what was stolen then this establishment owes us all about five million berri in total!"

"Yeah!" Luffy added his voice to the mix. "And bring us all your food while you're at it. No one steals from my friends!"

"No, that is not our policy." The toy said calmly. "We have it in writing on the door."

"Shut up!"

"No. It's our policy." The toy pointed.

Tashigi dropped him and ran to the door and opening it began to read the list of things they were not responsible for in an angry tone. "We do not accept responsibility for any crimes committed in this tavern! We do not pay back money that has been lost in gambling or around that area! We are not to blame for any fairy crime undertaken in this area! Visitors beware!" She fumed and glared at the piece of paper. One might have almost expected it to catch fire.

I carefully put both of my remaining swords back in place by my hip. _'Think calmly. I've got to calm myself. The thief can't have gotten far. The door has only been opened twice, and I haven't seen anything flying...' _

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a window in the far corner partly open and moving just a little back and forth. My sword had got whatever was carrying it jammed in between the frames. I grinned, my sword won't be stolen for long. "Your greed was your downfall, fairies! You're not getting away from me!"

"Where are you going, Zoro?" Luffy yelled at me.

"Hold it!" Sanji yelled. "We don't have time to let you wander off on your own!"

"Have you found the culprit!" Kinemon added. "I will not let you run off with one of the Wano Kingdom's treasures!"

I ran up to the window and crossing my arms over my face I leapt through it smashing the window into smitherines. I rolled on the ground as I landed and thankfully no glass decided to embed itself into my back. I started running as fast as I could after what looked like a small ball of stuff. The short guy must be very strong to carry such a thing if I couldn't even see him. I ran after him as fast as I could. "There you are! Stop right there!"

I heard Sanji and Kinemon yell after me but I ignored them. I'm not going to wait for anyone.

"Hey! Stop! You stupid fairy!"

"You stop!..." "Give …. treasure back!" I heard the other two yell at me.

I turned around another corner, and I couldn't see where the fairy had gone too. "Damn it! Where did that thing go?!" As I spun around and turned down another road I smacked into and tripped over...

"Zoro!" Tashigi growled, pushing me off her. "Look where you're going!"

"That's rich, coming from you." I stood up and looked around frantically. "Thanks to you I lost him!"

She stood up and pulled her glasses down to balance them on her nose. "Okay, what did the thief look like?"

"He was either short and like a fairy as they said, or the guy had the bag of stuff attached to a string and was pulling it through the streets, he might even be a tiny toy." I answered.

"Over there! By that bush near the fountain!" She yelled. And whoever was near enough turned around to look at us.

I clicked my neck. '_Time to die fairy. You wouldn't be able to escape the two of us.'_

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**I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and New Years! It feels like I haven't been spending enough time writing as of late. I think I have a lazy tendency to extent my deadlines... **

**I can't believe that they've just finished episode 724 when I'm just writing from episodes 631 and 632. There has to be a better way to fill up all the episodes... that's 92 episodes for most of the the Dress Rosa arch. Terrible. Rather than fill it with intro after intro and repeated flash backs and shots or punches taken they should have the spin off episodes of random characters in the grand line or alternative universes or something. It's to painful watching a dragged out episode. **


	26. The Miny Monster

**Chapter : 26:**

**I know I seem to say this a lot, but what the hell! How has it taken me this long to upload? First I'm moving house... then I'm trying to find another job... then I find another job and then... I'm moving house again... **

**GAHHH! This is why I can't write properly. There is no real rhythm to my life yet. There isn't a calm schedule that will encourage me to have a set time for all the things I want to do. Hopefully this new job will give me space and allow for my unfocused mind to continue writing new stories and chapters in record time. **

**Oh, and by the way. I'm going to work in London. **

**Yay!**

**Bye Bye Norwich! Hello busy, Multicultural London! **

**Shoot. This is going to be terrifying. **

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Hard Lines: The Miny Monster

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The street was full of hazards like people and toys and weird shaped buildings that shouldn't have been real. And I clambered up stairs and across shining, slippery, tiled rooftops that didn't seem to end.

The fairy, well, it was a weird thing no matter what it was, bounced up and down to get away. Seemingly, hopping from one place to the next as if it had invisible springs attached to it's feet.

"Your not getting away you thieving Fairy!" I yelled.

I ran as fast as I could, and almost caught him. But just as my fingers grazed him he took a sudden right turn down a market street and disappeared into the sea of people that were around him.

"Where did you go?" I adjusted my sunglasses to make sure they didn't fall off.

'_I'm spending to much time around Tashigi, I'm starting to act like someone who wears glasses all the time.'_

Off in the distance someone screamed and as I turned in that direction I saw them being bashed up into the air apparently by an invisible person.

"Over there." I charged my way through the crowd talking aloud to myself. "It's jumping up onto the roofs of the buildings!"

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm disappointed." I heard Tashigi say behind me. "I always thought Fairies could fly."

I shook my head, to stop the absurd spoken thought from Tashigi from ruining my concentration. I took a running leap up on top of a purple and white striped, sun shelter that was over some sort of pot stall and from that I jumped onto the next house stall's weather-shelter. Which in turn gave me immediate access to a window ledge onto the second floor, and from there I could jump from street light to roof with ease.

"Now I'll get you." _'I can now just see __the thief__ on the other roof.'_

"Be careful!" I heard a voice below me calling out, and a few gasps from a few of the nobody onlookers in the market place. I briefly looked down and saw how Tashigi had decided to keep low and follow the chase at ground level. _'She always was quite good at keeping a track on me.'_

_'Okay focus, back to the chase.'_ The roof had a crazy mixture of patterns. Lots of white and black squares not in line with each other but rather cut and bent in strange directions that made me feel like I was unbalanced. '_Who the hell came up with this __freakish__ show! And what the hell was he drinking. __I don't see this sort of pattern on my very worst drunken nights. __Ah! __He is just ahead of me now. __Just one lunge!__' _

"I've caught you!" I grabbed a hold of Shuusui and ripped it away from the wide sack that the weird creature was holding. "I'll be taking back my sword." I said triumphantly.

For the briefest of seconds I felt tiny hands grab a hold of my stupid disguise and somehow flip me over them and toppled me over the edge of the damn roof.

"Zoro!" I heard Tashigi yell my name.

I fell the three stories from the rooftop, smashed through the sun guard infront of some person's shop or house, and landed flat on my back. Taking a deep breath I opened my eye fully expecting to see either blurry buildings or to be blinded by the sun. But instead I saw something large and round falling down from the top of the house I had just been.

"Dam-mmmitttttt." I heard a high-pitched voice scream call out just when the heavy stolen load crashed into my face and chest. There was a massive dust cloud that seemed to rise up from the hit and I couldn't prevent a few heavy coughs from escaping me.

"I'm in Trouble. Trouble! What a klutz I am! The human will see me!" _'What the hell?'_ I heard the sound of Tashigi's footsteps approaching through the thick dust cloud, strangely enough no one else seemed to have gathered or even inspected the crash site, despite the terrible smashing noise and mess I had made from landing.

The high-pitched voice spoke again. "I have to get away before the human..."

My one good eye caught both of hers as she said this and she stopped in shock. "No!"

It no... she was, standing on top of my chest pulling at the heavy bag that had crash-landed onto me. She was like a little human in appearance, except she had blue hair and a blue and red hat, and a huge fluffy sort of tail.

"Excuse me." The little fairy thing seemed to suddenly get some manners as it tried to walk off my chest, that it had decided to land on for good comfort.

I grabbed it in my hand before it could escape and held it up so I could get a better look at the thing. "What the hell are you?!"

It looked up into my eyes and started crying. "I've done it now! What a failure! I'm a fool! An Idiot! I knew this would happen at some point."

There was a crashing sound behind me and as I briefly looked in that direction, and saw Tashigi dusting herself off. _'She must have just slipped over or something.'_

She looked both left and right until she saw me and ran over to were I was sitting. "Thank the maker. You got Shuusui back..."

"I'm fine as well. Thanks for asking." I glared at her.

"Oh, don't be silly." She patted my shoulders, creating more dust clouds while whipping the rest away. "You're way to strong to be actually taken down by a thief."

I felt my cheeks go red. "So good of you to notice." I tried to reply sarcastically, but it just sounded stupid.

"Of course..." She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw the blue thing. "Ohhhhh! It's so cute! So this is what the fairies look like?"

"Tuh!" 'W_hy is she so thrilled with it?'_ "Don't get carried away Tash. It might be a toy."

"I'm not a toy." The thing waved it's arms madly in the air. "I'm Wicca of the Tontatta Clan." It suddenly became very serious looking. "Please don't tell anyone that you saw me."

I glared at it. '_What real reason was there to not tell anyone that I had seen the damned thing. It wasn't like their existence was being kept a secret __from anyone__.__'_

"Please!" The tears started streaming down her face like a river.

"Zoro have you hurt her?" Tashigi frowned.

"No! I have no idea what's going on." I glared at her. "Oi! Explain yourself!"

"I don't have time for this!" She waved her arms about again hitting my hand trying to get free. I held on to her tighter and she started crying again.

"Zoro, be careful with her." Tashigi leaned in whispering. "Don't be cruel."

"I'm going to die." the Fairy said in a dramatic breath. "My life is ending!"

Tashigi had that worried face on. '_If I don't do something quickly she's going to try and take the fairy from me, and then it'll escape, because Tash doesn't know how strong these things really are_.' I cleared my throat and spoke to... the Wicca person. "It's not like I was planning on eating you. Just tell me what's happening."

"I-I can't!"

"What?" Tashigi asked. "Why can't you?"

"I can't tell that to a big person."

"Let her go." Tashigi said.

"What!?" I shook my head. "No, she'll..."

"No," Tashigi shook her head. "Let her go."

_'Damn, why does Tashigi's voice have to sound so sad...?'_ I set her down on the ground infront of us, and she smiled.

"Thank you..." the Fairy began. "but Forgive me... **I'm going**." She took a triumphant, tiny step forward, screamed, and fell to her knees.

"What's wrong now?" I asked with a smirk. _'Ha! serves the fairy right. No one steals my swords, __and gets away without consequence__.'_ and as if Tashigi had read my mind she hit my arm. "Oi!" I frowned back at her, but she wasn't paying attention.

"What's wrong?" She said, repeating what I had just said, but in a kinder voice.

"I can't walk." She cried. "I twisted my ankle earlier! I'm such a klutz!" She started banging the ground in front of her, and the power from her tiny fist seem to be breaking up the stone beneath her. "A KLUTZ! A KLUTZ! A KLUTZ! A KLUTZ! A KLUTZ!"

Tashigi knelt down next to the mad, strong, blue fairy apparently undisturbed by the tearing up of the breaking ground. "What did you do Zoro?"

I frowned, raising my recently lost prize. "It wasn't my fault the damned fairy is a thief." I turned back to the the tiny fairy. "How are you so strong? You're shattering the ground."

She suddenly stopped pounding the ground and looked up at me. " I have a request! Please, take me to my Commander! And because you started all this so it's really all your fault."

"That's because you are the one who stole my sword."

"Stole?" she had a confused expression on her face. "What are you talking about? We are the Green Watchers of this land! The big people call us fairies and give us all sorts of Things! That's their job!"

"Give you?" I fell a scowl coming up. "No, you steal things! I never gave you this!"

Tashigi picked her up by the back of her blue coat and held her out on her palm. "He is right you know. If you take something that doesn't belong to you it is stealing, and because we're visitors we don't necessarily know this pact you have with the rest of the town, and neither do we benefit from it. So it is very wrong of you to assume that you could just take anything that just so happens to take your fancy." The fairy made a pouty face, but Tashigi continued. "What would you do with such a big sword anyway? Why did you even need to have it?"

The fairy was avoiding eye contact as if maybe looking up into a big person's eyes was somewhat forbidden, or maybe she was just worried that she would spill or spell out all her secrets if she looked into the caring big, brown eyes. "Is someone using you to steal?" Tashigi asked in a concerned tone.

There was a sort of flash of recognition across the fairies eyes. "No! Wait... No.! We're getting distracted again! We need to hurry! I'm part of the scouting unit, I'm in a hurry! I have to report the location of the Donquixote family to the commander!"

"WHAT!?" both Tashigi and I said at once.

"This is our chance! I just confirmed that they went to attack the Straw Hat's ship!" the fairy's eyes widened in excitement, and then widened even more in shock. "KYAHH! What a blunder! I went and spilled the beans on everything!"

"What!?" I leaned in closer. "Hey, is what you said true?! I'm part of the Straw Hat Crew! You'll be dead if I find out you're lying."

"Calm down." Tashigi put a hand on my shoulder, and I snatched the thing from her hand. Holding it up from around the middle again.

"Oi! fairy. I am being serious. Is it true that the Donquixote Family went to attack the Sunny?"

"That's a secret,... but I saw them with my own eyes."

"I don't have a Den Den Mushi," I looked back at Tash.

She gave an apologetic frown. "Don't look at me. I gave Sanji the spare."

"So we've got no way to contact the others?" I let out a frustrated sigh. "Out of all of us, for that group to be targeted."

"What do you want to do? Shall we go back and warn them?" Tashigi asked.

_'Got to think these things through. Both Chopper, Nami, and Brook are good fighters, __but they suck when they're scared. __They will need my help.'_ I dropped the fairy, Wicca, onto Tashigi's shoulder. "Alright, I'm going back to the Sunny."

"Wait, take me to the flower hill first. Then I'll lead you to the coast." The tiny trouble said.

"Like I care, I'm heading to the coast right now!" I grabbed Tashigi's hand and pulled her up.

"Zoro," Tashigi started, "We could split up if you wanted. I could take Wicca to her commander and you could get back to the ship in plenty of time."

"No. Not happening. If they have been spying on us then there is only a short amount of time before they try and divide our crew and take us out one by one, and by the looks of things they will be able to succeed really soon, if we don't hurry up." I ran faster and Tashigi's voice started to get a bit breathless.

"But...Zoro." Tashigi called. "You're going -in the -opposite di-rection!" I stopped suddenly at that and looked around.

_'It looks exactly like the road we just came down.'_ I shifted my sunglasses again flipping them up and down hoping that the readjustment of light would show me something that I wasn't currently seeing. '_Nothing_..._different_'. I looked down at her. "Are you sure?"

Tashigi smacked her palm into her forehead. "You don't know how to get there, do you?"

"I do!" The annoying miny monster spoke up.

"Good, well show us the way." I said taking her back off Tashigi's shoulder.

Wicca shook her head. "Not until you take me to meet with my commander first!"

_'Damn! I don't have time for this sort of power play..._' "No!" I said. "We are going to the sunny first!"

"Zoro," Tashigi spoke quietly. "I don't want to sound uncaring, but if they do have an organized small military force it might be better to regroup with them first and exchange more intel, and contact the rest of the strawhats from there before going to save the others, that way we could let everyone know what is going on."

I nodded there was good sense to her statement. _'No matter how much I don't like it. It makes more sense.'_

"Fine. Let's get a move on. Which way fairy?"

Wicca pointed and we started running.

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**I hope you enjoyed it. I've already started the next one.**


	27. The Lost Child

**Chapter: ****2****7**

**Hello! It's been such a short time hasn't it fantastic friends and favourite followers. **

**I hope this won't disappoint. Do give ideas if you feel like contributing to the story. It's only going to get messy and exciting from this point on.**

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Hard Lines: The Lost Child

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"So you're saying Doflamingo's people have been following our movements this whole time!?" Zoro said, questioning the fairy, Wicca relentlessly.

"That's right we observed them doing so!" She nodded up at him from the inside of his collar. '_She is really is just so cute. How could anyone want to hurt these sorts of people, and get them mad enough to want to attack you... Well, I suppose I did until a little while ago, but that was mainly down to a misunderstanding of civil rights.'_

"Are you guys also involved with Doflamingo somehow?!" I asked.

"Yes. That's a secret!" Wicca said loudly.

_'I'm beginning to wonder if it was ever a secret.'_

"Dammit, then the ship isn't the only thing in danger. We all are." Zoro looked even more stressed and started running faster. "How far away is this Flower Hill?" He asked.

"Just climb those stairs." Wicca answered.

"What!? Where!?" He looked around and I reached my hand out to the back of his suite to stop him before he ran past them.

I smiled at his strange talent. "Zoro, why don't you follow me, or you'll get lost." His eyes caught mine briefly, and although I knew this was no moment to feel something so intimate, I felt as if a sudden energy of understanding for one another passed between us. It was all in his eyes. He was sad, and he was angry, and he was afraid for those in his crew weaker than him. '_What am I doing? Saying something like that, __something foolish and empty,__ when his crew mates might have been executed __by this ''Joker''__.'_

"Let's run faster." I said, then ran ahead on up the stairs and away from him. My legs couldn't seem to take me far enough fast enough.

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Some of my hair had come loose, and the wind battered and whipped the strands mercilessly against my face as I ran. I looked around for Zoro again and saw him tumble down another passage way and then climb back over the rooftops in the same direction that we had just come from.

"Zoro, Wait!" I suddenly realized what I just said and put my hand over my mouth. _'Blast I need to be more considerate about what names I yell in this sort of place. I didn't even think about what I could call him in this situation. What sort of other name should I give him when I need to get his attention?'_

"Oi!" I waved my arms in the air, but He kept on running. "Hey! Stupid...uh... Scoundrel! Greeny! Junior!" I yelled trying to get his attention. _'It's not working.'_

_'Wait what did Sanji call him. That always got his attention.'_

"Oi! Mosshead! I'm talking to you!"

He turned around and even from this distance I could feel the rage. "You're not going to start calling me that four eyes!"

"Then get back here! She said to go the other way!" I yelled back and pointed North.

He looked one way and then back towards me and then back the other way again and then as if debating within himself which person's directional skills he should trust he began making his way back to me.

I shook my head. _'How could he get it wrong? He even had the fairy on him...'_

The wind picked up and just on the edge of it I thought I could hear a wailing cry... '_Is that just my imagination? It sounds like a child crying...' __**'What if it is? What if someone is trying to abduct a child and no one else is around to see it.'**__ 'No.' '__**I can't let that happen.**__'_

I closed my eyes briefly and tried to get a feeling for the area. _'If I was a lonely child that had gotten lost... where would I be? Where would I hide from strangers? Would I hide, or would I search for someone to help me?'_

I got a strange feeling for the left side of the street, the wind was picking up even more making it nearly impossible for me to really determine whereabouts the sound was really coming from. _'Maybe down this street...'_

I took another left and then a right. And there right in front of me was a pretty, young girl that look far to young to be left alone down a shadowy street. She wore a purple dress, and carried with her what looked like a packed lunch...

_'Green hair? Maybe it's not as unusual as I was first lead to believe.'_

She was crying erratically and seemed unable to stop. Well, occasionally she did, just stopping long enough to take a deep breath, and rub her knuckles over her eyes in an attempt to rub away the tears.

I suddenly felt torn. Not sure to carry on and keep tract of Zoro or to remain behind with the child and try to help her. _'She looks really distraught and sad. I must help her. __I'll be quick._' I walked down the alley. _'Zoro would __undoubtedly __be able to fulfil his side of the deal__.'_

I knelt down to talk to her. "Hey..., there's no need to cry. What's wrong?"

"I'm lost." She cried even harder.

"Don't worry." I assured her, "If you need any help or if you're in trouble, I'll help you look for your parents."

The girl seemed to cheer up a bit at hearing that. "Really?"

"Of course." I said, I held out my hand.

"Do you know the Straw Hat?"

"Excuse me?" I frowned. _'The Straw hat? Did she mean, did I know Luffy?'_

She pouted, "I said! 'Did you know the Straw Hat?'"

_'There is something wrong with this girl._ _I need to take her back to her parents before she is missed. __Maybe she's is really angry with them and tried to run away.__'_ I shook my head. "I do not own a Straw Hat, no. But why don't you tell me your name, so we can find the missing person we're looking for." I turned around trying to see if there was a local official policemen that I could talk to about the girl.

She sniffed. "What are you doing here?" she asked looking up at me.

I smiled, _'There's no reason for me to tell this child anything, but at the same time...'_ "I was just passing, and I heard you crying. I thought I should help. Why don't we go and get someone who can help us find who you're searching for?"

"No."

I shook my head at her sudden shift of behaviour. "What?"

"I don't need anyone now. I found you." She reached up her hand to me, and I felt a wave of nausea course through me and my ears felt like they were being twisted.

_'What is happenin...'_

My mind blanked out and for a second, I thought I was dead.

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_'Damn it where did Tashigi go now? I turn my head around for a second and the next she's gone. We have a job to do.'_ I shut my eyes and tried to focus in on her energy signature. '_She's close by.' _

I turned around the next corner and a sudden gut wrenching pain came upon me and I became light-headed. _'What the hell?'_

I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts, _'What the hell was that?__'_

I carried on walking the way I was going. The passage ways looked grey. And I felt a cold chill creep up my back.

_'__I had been looking for something right? Something? Someone?__'_I took a couple more steps down into an alleyway._'__Something was definitely wrong. Why am I even here?'_

"What's wrong swordman?" a little person spoke up from the inside of my jacket.

"Ah!" I jumped out the sound of the voice.

"Ah!" she jumped too. "What are you trying to do!?" she yelled, "You trying to scare me to death!?"

"No, but when and why did you get in my shirt?"

"I don't...know!? But I need to report to my commander! And you must be taking me there!"

'W_hen __the hell __did th__is__ happen? __When did I start taking orders from tiny people.__'_

"Only if you say please..." I stopped when I turned around the next corner and saw out of the blue the cause of the crying that I had heard.

"Ehhh?" I turned right and left but the only thing I could see was a little brat of a girl with a pouty mouth holding a black, fabricish/wooden dog-doll by the tail, it seemed to have attached it's fake mouth to her finger and was biting hard.

"What are you doing?" the little brat started and grabbing the doll around the legs through it against the wall where it yelled and then rolled to the ground and got back up. It stood up and looked around and stiffened (if that is even possible) when it caught sight of me. I frowned when the dog started to run at me and bark as if it were excessively angry.

"None of your business. What are you doing?" I retaughted, '_What was up with her this weird ass dog?'_

"I'm playing with my doggy. What are you doing?" She tried looking down her nose at me.

"I'm hunting fairies and missing people, I found one, and I'm finding the others." I frowned. '_Wait a moment? Fairies? What missing person?'_

The small little dog seemed to be unable to stop barking. _'Damn thing is getting annoying. __I need to think. Let me think!__'_

"Please, I've lost my family, can you help me?" The little girl started wailing.

I frowned. _'What the hell?'_ "Why should I? I'm not your father. Go and talk the old lady in the middle of the street in that direction. She'll be able to give you better directions."

She stood up and still wailing, ran towards me with her arms outstretched, but the dog started barking terribly. Somehow, somewhere in the back of my mind I felt alarm bells going off.

"No!" I jumped backwards onto a box beside a window, and then jumped again sideways onto the arched doorframe of a nearby house. "No touching. I don't like kids." _'What the hell am I doing? Trying to avoid a kid?'_ But the hairs on the back of my neck were still up so I pretended not to care and I leaned back against the house and yawned. "Clear off kid. I'm looking for someone."

"Where are they then?"

_'Good question. I can't even remember what they looked like. Who the hell was I looking for?'_

She smirked up at me as if she knew something that I didn't. "You'll never find her."

_'So,... her? Who was she again?' _I felt my heart skip a beat and my chest felt heavy._ 'Why do I feel so depressed?'_

"She ran away from you. She doesn't even like you." She stuck out her tongue and grinned maliciously.

She stepped up to where the black dog was barking and grabbed it by the tail again. The toy in the little girl's arms seemed to be frantically moving and barking. '_That is one toy that hates a person... Don't think I'll ever like this place. It's too damn weird. Why did we come here again?... Oh yeah, it was Law's idea. And Luffy's. Yeah, I remember. Why did I forget all that? So strange.'_

I walked away from the girl and the mad dog and back to the street. "What was that about?" said the strange... fairy from my suit. 'Suit? When did I get that?'

"What's your name again?" I asked.

"It's Wicca." She frowned up at me.

_'This place is weird. I wonder what I'm supposed to be doing here?'_

I made my way back down the road. It seemed to be endless, and for some strange reason I just couldn't remember what I was in a hurry about to begin with. I shook my head. '_Well, Luffy wants me back at the huge building probably. __Which direction is that?__' _

A flash of a memory suddenly came back across my mind again in a teasing flicker and no sooner as it had come it went and I couldn't place what it was I had just tried to remember. There was something strange about this. I wasn't alone before... I was with someone. I could have sworn... I was with someone.'

I put my hand on my hip and looked down in surprise. '_Oh, yeah, I'm a swordsman... how could I forget. I use swords... I think.__'_

_'But __Why do I have t__hree__?'_

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**I decided that if Tashigi where to disappear from Zoro's memories then it would be highly possible that Kuina would as well since (because they look so similar) in his mind or memory he would occasionally get them mixed up. And if that were to happen then his main purpose in life would also be jeopardized. As he wouldn't remember what it was that he promised to Kuina and he wouldn't remember where he got two of his swords from. And he would barely remember that he was in fact a swordsman. He would still have his skills, but he wouldn't remember why he acquired them.**

**But he would still think of himself as a fighter as all he wanted to do when he was younger was to become the strongest man. It was only until later after he was defeated by Kuina that he decided to become the strongest / greatest swordsman. **

**I thought it would be more exciting if we mixed up the plot a bit. **


	28. A Little Toy Dog

**Chapter 28:**

**I hope the last chapter was exciting enough for you to continue reading. And thank you everyone who reviewed and showed your interest for the story plot.**

**To irishgrinextdoor ( I couldn't find you on Fan Fiction so I thought I'd write to you via story. Thank you very much for your review. I hope I'll be able to write more stories for Zoro and Tashigi too. They're fun to write for. Your advanced thanks is paying off.**

**Enjoy**

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Hard Lines: A Little Toy Dog

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'_How did it come to this? Why can't I speak? Why did this horrible child do to me.'_

I watched as he turned around and started walking towards the street. _'I need to get away! I need to escape this ...'_

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_**/ Flash back /**_

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"_**Clear off kid. I'm looking for someone." He looked down at us.**_

"_**Where are they then?" Her voice was almost tired sounding... A feeling of hatred grow out of me towards her. **_

_**That look of confusion, which was on his face... 'Remember Zoro! Remember who I am! Who you were following. What we were doing... No! Does He really not remember me.' **_

"_**You'll never find her." She looked so confident.**_

_**'How could a child hold so much bitterness? I've got to stop her!'**_

"_**She ran away from you. She doesn't even like you." **_

_**Worry ... sadness … 'don't be sad. I'm right here.'**_

_**.**_

_**/ Flash back ends /**_

**.**

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I looked back down at my feet. Well, not my feet, they were now four paws and small short, black legs that belonged to a toy dog.

_'This small girl must be a member of the Dolflamingo Family. Obviously, smarter than she looks... She also seems older than she appears as well. Who is she, and why did she pick me out to be treated this way. Is this the way Dolflamingo gets rid of his competition he just sends the little girl in to distract people and she then just makes them into toys... Well, it won't stop me.'_

The girl lifted me up in her hands and looked me in the eye.

"I didn't learn your name when I was going through the files of the Strawhats. I wonder who you were?" She shrugged. "Hufgh... It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. It's not like anyone will miss you."

_'What the hell! No stupid green-haired idiot is going to tell me what I can and can't do. Especially one who looks like she might have only just started eating real food.' _

"Listen!" She put her hand over the place where my heart would have been. "You shall now serve the Dolflamingo family. You shall never contradict an order given by the family, you will never reveal your secret to anyone else..."

As I heard the words and for an instant I felt the hard, cruel, power of them seem to seep through my black outer layer of fabric, but then the power was lost as it seemed to seep down to something that wasn't there. '_My heart. __She's controls people by possessing their hearts and using her power over them. Mine__ c__an__ not be corrupted, __because it's not __here.__'_

_'For the first time since I met him, and I'm actually thankful to Law for taking my heart out.'_

She carried on talking to me and once she had finished with whatever it was that she thought was supposed to put me under her subjugation, she put me down and walked away. I walked away a few steps to just test just how stable I really was, and then with that practiced, I ran.

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A little way down the road I saw the tall shadow of Zoro again. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but no words came out just disturbing barking sounds, and I stopped briefly to cough and to try and shake off any fear of being overlooked again. _'After all, to him... I'll just look like a useless toy dog.'_

Running up alongside Zoro I started doing the only thing I could do... and that was to make a racket... "Arf! Arf! Ruff! Ruff! Arrrff! ARRRF!"

He stopped and looked down at me at first a little annoyed, but then the recognition kicked in.

"Oh... it's you. You're that dog from earlier. You managed to escape as well." He squatted down in front of me and briefly patted me on the head. "I'm not surprise you were running I'd be too if that small brat was after me."

He stood back up and straightened his back. "Good doggy, now you can clear off." He shoved his thumb in the opposite direction to where he was apparently going. "Get going and be free, before she finds you again."

"Grrrrrr..." I shook my head and lifting up my front paws I tried to draw an invisible message out to him in the air. He stood there staring at me for a little while...

_'Great! Maybe he's getting this. Maybe he's understanding what I'm trying to say!'_

Just as I thought that, he bent down and took my paw in his hand. "Well done. I don't know what you were trying to do, but you put real dogs to shame. You should set up your own entertainment business." He smiled and shook my fake paw. "See you around."

Not wanting him to just run off again I tugged on his leg trousers. _'__Maybe, I can't talk, but if I could somehow write __or tap out __a message to him, then he would understand.__'_

_'Tap, yes of course! Most people who travel the seas have to learn Morse code for travelling at night for signalling other ships that are in a deep fog.' _

I ran infront of him again and started tapping the ground in a pattern that would enable him to get my message. I continued for a full thirty seconds before Zoro grew bored.

"I don't get it." Zoro said groutcherly, scratching the back of his neck.

Wicca jumped up out of Zoro's shirt. "I think it's some sort of code messaging. We use something similar back on base! No! We don't have a base! It's a secret!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Sorry Toydog but I've got no time to waste on messages that make no sense."

I looked around frantically, and saw a pile of spilt flour just behind a bakery. I barked back at Zoro and Wicca and ran over to it.

I think it was probably Wicca that was able to persuade Zoro to come over as he did not look at all impressed with what I was doing. After a full four minutes I stood back and observed my land art that was telling the story of how I transformed into a dog...

_'It looks like crap! The human doesn't even look human! __And the dog looks more like a rabbit!__'_ I glanced up at Zoro.

"Huh?" Zoro frowned down at the drawing in the sand. "What the hell is that?"

_'Damn! Why do I suck at drawing!? Why can't I have been given a mouth with which to speak by, and why is it that I can bark but not speak? This isn't fair!'_

Frustrated, I simply collapsed onto the pavement and surrendered to the fact that Zoro was definitely going to leave me, and definitely had no idea what I was trying to say. '_Well, then that confirms it, I have to do this on my own. Well, I __tried__.__'_

I stood up and took one look back at Zoro, who now was looking not only suspicious and altogether unhappy, but also worried, and with his hand resting on the hilts of his katanas. _'Not a good combination, maybe __just maybe,__ this was where we were supposed to part ways... no matter how much this goodbye sucks.__'_

I sighed. '_Never thought my last time seeing him would be like this. Well, Time to leave.'_ I turned my back on him and started on my way.

"Whoah. Whoah.. tiny toy.." Zoro grabbed me by the black, squishy fabric right behind my head.

I would have probably growled at him had he not then lifted me up into his arms. "There's no need to act all crushed down little guy. You must have been through quite an ordeal. That's good, it develops character, as long as you don't allow it to destroy you."

As soon as he had me in his arms I relaxed. It wasn't a conscious decision, but one that seemed impulsive, purely natural. _'He feels like home...__'_

_**'**__**No! What the hell**__** was that!? What the hell**__** am I thinking**__!?_' I stiffened in denial at my idiotic thinking. _'Maybe being transformed into a dog really did mess with my brain.'_

"I'm not surprised you were traumatized, I didn't like that girl either." He shook his head, while patting mine. "There was something just not quite right about her. But I can't remember what it was."

_**'**It's strange... I can't feel him, smell him, or … do anything else for that matter, but being the close to him... the size difference from being a human and being a dog... He seems so much stronger and bigger and better than he was before. No... maybe I'm just going crazy.' _

"Your legs look quite short..." He continued.

_'Maybe I should consider biting him just to see if that might jog his memory.'_

"How about you just let me take care of you for a little while? If you're hiding from that girl I understand. I know that the toys around here seem to be able to talk and think like people... And I'm not offering you my friendship..!" He said putting on his scary face.

It almost made me laugh. _'He's kinder than he realizes...'_

"...but you can hitch a ride with me as well if you want. Just like this little brat here." He pulled the fairy Wicca by her hat.

"Hey!" She protested, pulling her hat firmly down onto her head and ducking into Zoro's shirt.

_'He's still kind and sweet to things he's only met for the first time.'_ If I could have sighed and given him a hug, I would have, instead I had to settle for the immediate repositioning to be held in his hand. He managed to position my head between his third and fourth finger in his right hand, allowing my front paws to hang down on either side of his hand. It was strangely comfortable. And with his grip secured he started running towards the stadium.

_'Not the direction we were aiming for... but Zoro's instinct has always been pretty good. Maybe we'll end up some other place we need to be more.'_

After a little while Zoro spoke again. "You know I thought you'd be a lot more of a hassle considering how much you were trying to bite that girl, but you're really a good dog aren't you?" He stroked me with his thumb, just above the right shoulder. At that I felt calmer, I don't see why, as he had just called me a dog... but they're was a brightness to Zoro that I hadn't seen before as if he wasn't quite the same... as if he wasn't as cruel and as hardened as he had been.

_'I shall become human again. Just like all these people, these toys, here. I shall not allow them all to be forgotten. Even if no one remembers them after they've come back, I shall bring them back. Later, I'll find out how...'_

Somehow I was content with that. Just knowing that I'd try to do it somehow, and... maybe also because Zoro was carrying me in his arms. He might not remember me, but he was still showing kindness to an unreal, strange, animal that he could have just kicked to the ground and walked on forgetting all about it. But he hadn't, instead He chosen to pick me up.

_'Makes me think He'd probably have saved Wicca the fairy whether I had been there or not.' _

Just like he had chosen to pick up my glasses for me that day. That day when everyone else had been too busy laughing at me as I fell to my knees and face; to see that I needed help to find my glasses, but again, maybe they had seen that, but they had just not cared about stepping out and doing something about it. Because that would involve doing something different from the crowd.

But he hadn't laughed. He had just bent down, picked them up, and intended to give them to me...

_'Yes, he had, but broken...' _

_**'Just like me. Broken and useless.' **_

_'Until I get back in shape. I need to. I need to.'_

_'**Worthless!... Empty! …. you are no one. You are no one.**_

'_No!'_ I looked ahead of me and focused on the path. '_This is just a __temporal__ problem. I'm not useless. I will do something worthwhile. I will find a purpose. No! I have a purpose. I shall take back all the swords from those who have no right to weld them.'_

_'__**That would be you! You **__**have no right! You**__**...'**_

_'No. I refuse to listen to you. I shall do as I have dreamt all these years and I shall succeed. I shall.'_

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**What shall happen next!? Will Zoro remember that he had that very important information to save his crewmates or will his silence condemn them? And will Tashigi ever change back?**

**Stay tuned for the next Chapter of Zoro and Tashigi in Hard Lines.**

**:D I always loved Dragon Ball's one liner spoilers.**


	29. Keep in Contact

**Chapter 29:**

**Still getting used to my new life down here in London. It's a lot to keep up with. But here goes another chapter!**

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Hard Lines: Keep in Contact 

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"No! Not that way! It's down there!"

After what seemed like ages of doing what a damned fairy told me. I had finally run the distance required for us to get to the location where Wicca found her other company, friends... family. Whatever they were to her...

There were hundreds of tiny fairies that gathered around us. I first thought I'd have to watch out for where I stepped, but it didn't seem to matter as their lightening reflexes saved them from being trodden on.

The Dog seemed almost happy now, considering how it leapt from my arms and starting looking around as if it was enchanted with the place. '_Weird Dogtoy... What should I call __something like that__? __A __Doy …__a__ Tog?'_

"Where's the Captain!?" Wicca asked impatiently to her company.

"He's not in yet." explained another tiny fairy with a yellow hat, that had come up to her. He was busy scratching his neck as if a curse had been put on him to continue to do so. "He told us he'd be back soon to prepare for the battle!"

"Huh? What you all going to battle?" I asked.

All the fairies suddenly glared at me as if seeing me for the first time. "Why have you brought a big person back here!? What if he tells on us?!"

Wicca shook her head. "No! He hates Dolflamingo! He's going to fight him too! He's going to help us! You shall now call him Brother!"

"What! No, you won't, and don't." I tried to correct her, but the damage was already done. As they all started cheering.

"Big Bro!"

I glared down at her. But before I could continue to raise up any argument she was pulled away by a small group of fairies that started bombarding her with questions. So I started walking about looking at the amazing base of operations.

I saw a large box out of the corner of my eye and a booming noise came from it, so not only me, but a sea of fairies or whatever they were called, were drawn to it as well. I stumbled into a small open space where hundreds of the little people seemed to have gathered and made a space for myself there. As soon as I sat down I noticed how all them had gathered around, and started climbing up me to get a better look at the screen.

"Oi! Quit it."

"WE CAN'T SEE! YOU'RE TOO FAT, BIG BRO!" I felt little needles dig into my legs and arms as they started to prod and poke me.

"Grrrrrrr...!" The black dog, that seemed to have attached itself to me, growled in apparent disapproval to the little people's behaviour.

_'What on earth did it think it was the behavioural police?'_ It then proceeded to come down a few steps where it had been observing the land, to confront the fairies on my back and feet. Once they had backed off and stopped needling me, it started nudging my feet and pointing towards the door. _'What did it want to do now? __Did it want me to leave? I'm not doing what some random dog tells me.__'_

I tried to ignore it, brushing off it's prodding paws, so I could continue watching what looked like an impressive and epic showdown of the world's top fighters in an arena. "Hey, where is this taking place?" I asked the short little fairy at my feet.

It looked up at me with a shocked expression. "You don't know!?"

"No." I glared down at him. Trying my hardest to concentrate on the fairy and not on the dog that was tugging on my boots.

"It's taking place here!" It yelled. "Big Bro are you stupid or something!"

I fumed. I don't like being called stupid even on my worst days. "Listen you..."

_'Hey! Wait a minute I could have sworn I just saw Luffy.' _My eyes scanned the screen again and there he was...

"What the hell! When did this take place!?"

"It's happening right now!" the short red-hat fairy said.

"What why wasn't I told!?"

The fairies all gave me strange looks and start whispering very loudly to themselves about how strange green haired humans were.

All of a sudden the fight became personal, and a huge guy was yelling things at Luffy while leaping down at him head first splitting the ground wherever he landed. Luffy leapt and bounded out of his way on multiple occasions.

"Oi, Don't let him get the upper hand, Luffy!" I yelled at the screen pointlessly.

"Hey, Big Bro, we can't see!" The fairies seemed to get more interested by the match, the second I got angry at it.

"Zoro!" I heard my name being called but didn't really pay much attention to it.

"Shit... That Bastard..." There he was, Luffy, dressed up in some cape and helmet. "...wish I'd known there was a tournament like this... Why wasn't I invited! My swords want to see some action."

"Ah, Captain!" Wicca's voice sounded out loudly above the din of the crowd's roaring. I turned around to see who she was greeting...

"Oh, Franky." I exclaimed as the blue-haired robot guy stepped into the large gathering.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Franky asked angrily.

"Captain! We've compiled the info from the scouting Brigade!" Said another fairy, who's hat looked the same size as his entire body. He was really ugly-looking and like a lot of the others he had a spear-like needle thing he carried around with him.

"And we've confirmed the enemy's movement, as well as sugar's," Another female fairy added.

_'Sugar? Was that supposed to be someone's name?'_

"and also … now don't be too shocked, but today, with the fateful battle at hand..."

"That's right!" the original ugly speaker started saying...no crying. "It seems that the tontatta's legendary heroes have appeared before us! Their names are Usoland, and Robilane! Intel says they are heading this way Now! On top of that, it seems they have some friends with them. Their names are Luffyland, Zoroland, Namiland, Sanland, Chopperland, Fraland, and Boneland."

_'Oh, crap. What has Usopp got us in now? What on this crazy island could have influenced Usopp to tell such a lie. Nuh! What the hell, it's Usopp why am I even surprised. - Might as well play along.'_

I lifted up my hand and all the little people looked at me. "Ah... I'm probably Zoroland."

"EHHHHH!?" Their eyes almost leapt out of their skulls while their jaws fell to the floor.

"I'm Fraland. Nice to meet you." Franky said as well, playing along with me.

"AMAZING!" all the fairies cheered.

_'Why do I have this nagging feeling at the back my mind?' _The weird toy dog thing tugged out my leg trousers again and barked towards the road, as if it was impatient about getting me to do something. I could almost hear it's urgent bark as if I had a subconscious translator for dog barks. _** 'HURRY! YOU'VE GOT TO GO... NOW!' **_

_'I really don't have time to dogsit for this thing.' _I picked it up again by the soft part of it's back, and lifted it so I could see it eye to eye. "Listen dog, I don't have time for all this noise you're belching out, so why don't you go and play fetch some-place else. This looks like it'll get real serious soon. So move along."

I dropped the thing back to the pavement again and pushed it with my foot. It turned around suddenly and bit into my boot instead.

"Oi! Shove off! You little ..."

I reached down, but before I could grab the damned nuisance, and throw it behind me out of the way, it whined and let go of my boot. It looked up at me with those really sorrowful, sad, big eyes. It should have held no expression, because - well, it was a toy, but for some reason no matter how I looked at it, it seemed to be feeling pain and sadness as if it could really feel those things.

I knelt down and patted it's head at which for some reason it seemed to scowl at me. '_What the hell is wrong with this dog? __I just can't do anything right for it can I!__'_

"Listen, I know whatever it is you want to show me is good, but I don't have time for that now, as I've got..." my mind froze and a flash of a memory came back again.

_**'How could I have forgot?'**_ I shook my head in frustration. "Ah! There's no time for this!"

Franky looked at me with one raised eyebrow.

"If I don't hurry back to the Sunny-Go, Nami and the others..."

"Hmm?" Franky frowned. "What's that?"

"No time to explain!" I turned and ran as fast as I could in any direction. The dog barked and followed after me.

Wicca jumped onto my shoulder just as I left yelling in my ear that she had told me so... but I wasn't listening. I had an awful feeling that the dog had been trying to tell me to go for this very reason this entire time.

_'But why would it know this information I only met it a little while ago? And where did it really come from?'_

.

.

"Zoroland we need to turn left soon." ….She cleared her throat. "Left is the side where you don't have any swords on your waist."

"You think I don't know my left from my right!?"

"Yes." she said barking out orders into my ear like some sort of commander. "The One attacking your ship is a female officer in the Donquixote family, Jora and her Crew! She artistically steals away her opponents' ability to fight, and can be quite a handful!"

"How do you know so much?!" I asked.

"We only know the names, faces, and powers of all those at or above officer rank, because we can't help but remember them. Especially because ten years ago... the dressrosa army was annihilated by just three individuals. The strongest of the officers, Trebol, Diamante, and Pica... We could never forget their faces."

"Just how old are you, … um... Wicca?"

"I'm twenty-seven."

_'Damn, this tiny thing is six years older than me.'_

I glanced briefly at the dog running beside us. _'What is up with that? Why does it want to follow me / __us__ so badly. Wh__y can't it just find something else to take up it's time.__'_

"**Ohh! Zoro-dono! Zoro-Dono, we're over here, that we are!"**

I turned in the direction of the very accented dialect that I recognized all too well.

"**Keep it down fool!" **Sanji kicked Kinemone in the hip in an effort to shut him up.

"Who are they, looking so friendly with each other?" Wicca asked pointing toward to two idiots.

"That's CurlyBrowsland and TopKnotland." I answered Wicca.

"Wow! So their heroes too?!"

I rubbed the back of my head absent mindedly. "I suppose so." I looked around trying to ignore them and get out of there as soon as possible.

"Oi! Zoro! Where have you been, you bastard!" Sanji came running up to me until he noticed the fairy, Wicca poking her head out of my shirt.

"What the hell! You collect little people and hide them in your clothes, do you!? You sick moss-headed..."

"I don't have time for this crap." I knocked aside the leg that had suddenly appeared in front of my face.

"Really? And what would be so important that you don't tell me why you..."

"The Thousand Sunny is under attack. I need to get there and save the others from the … 'Mingo family."

"Whaaa … you're going to save Nami? So it's really that bad! No wonder she didn't pick up the Den Den Mushi! Okay, I'm going too!"

"Wait, San-ji-Dono." Kinemon interjected. "We should remain here to inform Luffy-Dono of the situation."

Suddenly, a woman whose head and hair was covered by a hood popped out form just around the corner of a nearby passage. "Black leg?" She whispered.

_'Who the hell is that? And since when did Sanji have the time to met up with her?'_

"Uoohhh my beloved Violet!" Sanji bent over backwards and fell towards her.

_'__Oh, gross. __Such a mindless, __and unconsidered__ love. Disgusting. __What has he only just met her or something. I will never understand that twisted mindset of his. If he keeps this up he's ...__'_

"You're going to end up passionately stabbed..." I said sneering at his stupidity with the flirtatious stranger. It was hard to tell who was being the most flirtatious they were both doing so well.

The girl Violet although blushing like there was no tomorrow, seemed not as seriously in love with Sanji as he was with her at that moment. After he fauned over her for a little while, she gained a serious expression very quickly. "Your ship has been taken by Jora, from our crew..."

_'Her crew? Is she one of them?'_

"They're heading for Green Bit!"

"Whhhhhaaattt!" I yelled at the same time as Sanji.

"I need to get going." I said and turned my back on the rest of them.

Sanji ran at me and kicked me in the back. "What the hell was that for moron!?"

Sanji scowled, glaring at me. "I've got way more business worrying about Nami than you do! And you know that she'd much prefer that I save her! That why I'm going!"

"Fine just go then!"

He turned to Kinemon, "This is a map to the Toy House where your friend is being Held."

"Ohhh, many thanks!" He said taking it.

"And you." He turned to me, and handed over a Den Den Mushi. "If you're able to meet up with Luffy, this will connect you to the Thousand Sunny. Let's try to confirm everyone's whereabouts and safety. I'm retuning to the Sunny!"

With that we were left again... '_Sanji will make sure the others are alright. All we have to do now is get to Luffy give him the message and get this attack started._' I looked back down to my left and there it still was following me as if it was some sort of guard dog.

"You bought a pet dog or something?" Kinemon asked.

It growled at the suggestion and deliberately walked five steps away from us and sat back down again.

"No. It just likes stalking me."

The dog shook it's head and flopped down to the ground as if exhausted or exasperated, _'maybe both I'm not sure which.._' and then it glared back at me as if daring me to continue.

_'Don't know why, but it feels like I've met this thing before...'_ I took one large step towards the black four-legged toy... _'I should really come up with a name for it soon.'_ and picked it up and held it underarm style.

"You think it likes that?" Kinemon looked on.

I took a look down at my new... sort-of pet. "Yeah, I think it does. It's not kicking up a fuss. I've seen it try to chew the face off someone that it didn't like, so I'm guessing it's fine with it."

"I do so often wonder where all these toys come from, that I do... Do you know if it's a bitch dog or a ..."

"Don't be idiotic. It's a toy it doesn't have a sex." I replied.

The dog let out another huff / sigh and struggled a bit in my arm and lifted up a leg pointing straight ahead.

"I think she wants us to go that way! Toward the Colosseum." Wicca said.

"So, it's a she is it?" Kinemon asked as he and I started to run towards the huge tall building in the distance.

"Don't think it matters." I looked dead ahead. "So, that's building where they're having that awesome battle." The dog barked and nodded it's head.

_'Well at least someone has answered the damn question.'_

I scratched it behind the ears. "Good girl."

"Are you going to give it a name?" Kinemon asked.

"It's probably really lonely, and doesn't have a name." Wicca frowned down at the dog as if it was something to be upset about.

I shrugged. "B.B?"

"What's that stand for?" Kinemon asked.

"Black Bitch?" The dog's head snapped around and glared at me.

"She did not like that."

I Laughed. "Oh, I like that reaction. We'll definitely go with that name. It's exactly what she is, so it's fine."

The dog visibly looked depressed.

Kinemon hummed in thought. "I feel sorry for any children you name. They would end up being called S.S.B, for Short, smelly baby."

"I'm not going to have any children."

"And all women everywhere are grateful for that."

"Yeah." Wicca nodded. "You're an ugly human!"

I scowled. "Hey, It's not all about what a person damn looks like. And if I wanted to, I could make any woman want me. And I'd be good at it. I can be good at everything I set my mind too."

_'Wait why am I even discussing this stupid subject with these two morons. I don't need to explain myself to them.'_

Kinemon shook his head as if he thought I didn't know what I was talking about. "Not parenting children, it's entirely different. It takes great responsibility. I have my son, and I know how much faith he puts into me, and how much he looks up to me."

"It'll be a hassle probably, but nothing I can't handle."

"What sort of names would you choose if you were naming your own children then?"

"Don't know. Something short and simple. Kuina, Nora,... Tara,... Una, Valda, …...Vera, Zara... They're easy to say and quick to write down, nothing too long-winded."

"Yeah they... hey! They all four letters like your name, and they're all girl's names, and they all end in 'a'."

"So? And Kuina is not four letters."

"What if you don't have a girl?"

"Then we choose something else."

"Who's the we?"

"Well, that's... I'd probably, be with..." I felt a blush coming up as I tried to, for a moment, imagine who the other one might look like...

An image flashed across my mind; a picture of a young girl knocking two swords out of my hands. I cleared my throat. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter anyway."

We walked all the way to the huge ass building … and stood infront of it. It was locked down by hundreds of metal bars that sealed off the entrance ways and the windows from above.

"So, how do we see Luffy?" I asked Kinemon.

"I know not, which is why I've been standing here, that is is! Every entrance is firmly shut... and it was my acting strangely earlier that led to my Capture."

_'He was captured?'_

"Alright, should we cut down this Wall?!" I pointed with a nod.

"That counts as acting strangely that it does!"

"Okay we'll cut it gently." I rolled my head round and up at him. _'Kinemon really is a giant man.'_

"It's not a matter of your enthusiasm!"

For a while we just stood there looking for a way in or for an idea to pop into our minds. Until I noticed a person on the inside of the barriers looking out at us. He was staring gob-smacked as if he had just seen a ghost.

.

.

"Why does he weep?" Kinemon said folding his arms.

_'We have been here too long already.'_

"Hey how do you know that's Luffy? And how do you know my name?!"

"B... b... becaub I'be beenyerpan dis whole tibe!" He whimpered out.

"This guy doesn't seem that good at talking..."

"W... Won't you give me an autograph!?"

"Huh?!" I frowned at him. '_That's the sort of thing that Chopper kept on asking for when he met someone famous right? Why does this guy want my writing for? Such a dumb request.'_

"If I go and search for Luffy Senpai, would you give me an autograph?"

_'Weird guy... Oh well...'_

"You'll find him for us?! Yes, please! and hurry up!"

"J... Just … Just wait right there! I'll find him for you! Even if it costs me my life!"

"Your life, huh..." I shook my head as he tripped over himself in order to get to the wherever he was going.

_'Well that was relatively simple. No cutting, and no extreme force needed.'_

"That man a fan of yours or what?" Kinemon raised an eyebrow. "He's even got the same kind of green hair as you."

"No idea." I shrugged. "And having green hair doesn't mean he's trying to be like me at all."

.

.

"Zoro! Kinemon!"

"Luffy! Keep it down, you idiot!" I yelled back at him.

"That Chickenhead guy led me over here!"

"Well, where's he now!?" I asked. _'He asked for that auto... thingy didn't he?'_

"On the way here, he started foaming at the mouth..." Luffy explained. "Anyway, what're you doing here, Zoro!?"

I cleared my throat about to answer when I remembered. "You! If you knew there was a tournament like this …" _'How could he have kept something like this to himself. He's usually such a loud mouth...' _"Why didn't you invite me to come along!?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Luffy grinned. "I only just found out before they closed the gates."

"And here I've been, running around the whole city, chasing down fairies and being followed around by toy dogs." I scowled down at the black toy dog beside me, and I could have sworn it glared back at me and then turned it's tail on me and looked in another direction.

"You know that is not why we are here!" Kinemon hit my back, and pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his sleeve. "It operates like this, yes?"

"What're you doing?"

"Sanji-dono told me to call should we meet with Luffy- dono."

"Oh, right... ahh... anyway Luffy, the … Colosseum is surrounded by marines." I added remembering the name at last.

"Hmmph! That all?" Luffy picked his nose.

Kinemon almost dropped the snail at Luffy's remark. "So cavalier about it! That is the main issue at Hand, that it is!"

"**Bulla bulla bulla! Bulla bulla bulla!"**

"**Gotcha!"**Luffy yelled. "Are you there Sanji it's me!"

"**Gotcha!"**"Usopp reporting in!" Usopp's voice came over the snail phone.

Sanji voice came across the noise of everyone. "This should be everyone, except for Law. Everyone, give us your updates!"

"Oww! Franky, here... but I'm with Usopp and Robin. Right now, we're with the anti-doflamingo group, the Royal Riku army."

"An Army!?" Luffy asked sounding excited.

"An Army of Dwarves."

"Dwarves?!"

_'Dwarves indeed? I thought they were just these fairy people...'_

In the background I heard Usopp yell. _"This is a conference of Heroes! __Please don't listen in!"_

"Luffy, Remember that weird soldier we met in front of the Colosseum?" Franky's voice called out to him.

"Yeah! but what about the Dwarves!?" Luffy asked impatiently.

"He's actually the Captain of this Brigade! Just so happens that today, they're planning to take down Doflamingo!" Franky continued.

"Ah! That Guy! The toy soldier! The one who Rebecca was trying to stop! Hey, Franky! You have to hold back that Army!"

_'What on earth Luffy?' _I looked over at him wondering what he was thinking.

"Don't be stupid!" Franky sounded angry. "In fact I'm telling you the Opposite! Have you talked with that Rebecca?"

"Yeah, she seems like a really good person! She was really low on cash, but she treated me to three bento boxes anyway! But, listen, as soon as she entered the ring the crowd really started to piss me off!..."

_'Where the hell is Luffy taking this story...?'_

Franky thankfully interrupted him "I feel the same way as you! So, I full-well acknowledge Tora-man's plan. We're to destroy the Factory and let Doflamingo live to see another day, so that we might use him further. But... in terms of these guys who want to have their revenge on Doflamingo today, is it really in our best interests to have him win against them?" There was an uncomfortably long pause in Franky's talk. "Luffy, no matter what you say, I'm fighting with them! This Country might look great at first glance, but it's hiding some really deep darkness."

"To challenge such powerful underhanded enemy... this brave bunch of little fighters. Well, I can't just send them off to die!"

"Alright, we're heading back...!" Sanji's voice said over the Snail phone.

"Noo... Ehh!? We were hoping you wouldn't say that!" Brook, Chopper's and Nami's voices could also be heard in the background's receiver.

"Franky!" Luffy looked down at the Den Den Mushi as if yelling at it would give the person on the other end of the conversation more courage. "GO WILD! WE'LL JOIN UP AS SOON AS WE CAN!"

"Oww! Thanks a ton!" Franky yelled back.

.

.

I lifted up my sunglasses just briefly and ran two fingers down my forehead, between my eyes and on either side of my nose. '_The miny army of dwarves are __probably no __definitely the Fairies... They're a tough bunch. But how are they supposed to keep anything like this a secret. If they are anything like the one I found they will have __spilled and__ spelled out all their plans for attack to whoever asks them.'_

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**Well I hope I've updated fast enough for you. It is a beautiful sunny day here in London. The pink and white blossoms are showering from the trees in the local park, and we have clear blue skies as far as the eye can see. I really don't feel like being indoors, but I'm determined to use some of my free time for typing up these chapters so here you go. **

**This Chapter took me two days to write. Just because there was a lot of checking up and re-reading to be done. I'm trying to condense the storyline, so it's not sooooooo... LONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG... **

**I hope it has worked.**


	30. Brutality

**Chapter 30!**

**Hurray! I've got 173 reviews on my story! Although that might not seem like much compared to other stories on this website to me it's a big deal. As this story by far is the most popular that I've written, and continued to write.**

**To irishgrlnextdoor, The Keeper of Worlds, Lightningblade49, The Scottish Hippie, shadowwriter01, Luur, Thalia-san Chez, ShionRocks, rebecca taylor, and Shikaku Zetsumei. Thank you all for all the latest reviews you have given this story. I really appreciate hearing what you think of it and seeing my own story through someone else's eyes. It's exciting to find out how you all like or dislike or react to certain changes and parts of the story. So please keep it up. **

**:D**

**Thanks! **

**Abigail Skywalker**

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Hard Lines: Brutality 

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I walked a little way from the group when I saw a few marines in disguises running down the street opposite.

_'Although I couldn't tell Zoro what he needed to know, he's doing fine now, maybe I could find a way to let the officers know what was going on.'_

I followed them down the road until they took another bend and I waited and then peered around the corner. _'It's him!'_ His long, orange hair bursting out from the sides of his holey mask, and falling down to his chest like some wild man instead of the vice admiral he was. _'__Bastille the shortest known giant, a vice admiral, __the wielder of __Same-kiri Bocho. __N__ot a part of th__e Giant Squad, but …'_

_'T__**hat doesn't matter now!'**_

_'But __what is he doing here of all places?'_

_**'No time to think of that now!'**_

_'Yes, I know, but how best should I deliver the message?' _

There was a cracking sound in the air and a whooshing came from above. I looked up and saw two people plummeting down towards Luffy, Zoro, and Kinemon.

"**Boom!"**

"Vice Admiral Bastille!" Voices of the Marines that I'd been watching out for, were heard just a few feet away. "That's!..."

His questionable sentence didn't need answering_. 'Judging by the pink fluffy flamingo feathers draped over him it must be him. It's Doflamingo, the Joker.'_

"What is it!?" Luffy yelled from the other side of the bars, until the cloud of dust disappeared into the hot air.

"Hey!" Zoro yelled.

"Tora-Man! Doflamingo!" Luffy yelled.

I ran back closer to the action, but not too close. '_I'm nothing but a toy now. I've got to be careful. __At least with being this __small, __I can get near enough to hear what they're saying without being a burden._'

Law was lying down on the ground bleeding badly from a head wound and wheezing as if he had just run a mile or had a heart attack.

_'This does not bode well for any of us. Why did Dolflamingo bring him unless he already knew that we were here_.'

"Hey! Tra-guy! Why're you with Mingo!?" Luffy yelled gripping the sea stone bars that barricaded him from the outside just a few feet away.

_'No... this does not feel good. Law has been crushed. It's as if I can feel the pain and weariness coming off him.' _I looked up at both Kinemon and Zoro and both were at the ready with their hands near their swords.

Doflamingo stood over him like a king looking down on an unworthy subject. A bitter expression was souring his already mocking face. "This brat... has pushed his luck far enough!" Mingo said and with that he pulled out a pistol and shot him four times.

I had always expected this deal to go sour, but I hadn't dared to think it would happen this soon, and so public. A small crowd had gathered around and where staring on quite horrified by what they had witnessed. _'How are we supposed to deal with this? There's too many. We need the marines on our side... Damn it! I wish I was back to my human self!'_

"Hey! What was that explosion? And those gunshots?! What happened to Tora-man!?" Usopp yelled down the Den Den Mushi's receiver.

"What's going on over there?!" came another concerned voice from the snail.

Everyone nearby frowned and started whispering amongst themselves about what might have been happening. Some ran from the scene not wanting to get involved, while others utterly curious stepped in closer to the action, to see why their king was down amongst his people, killing an enemy or someone that he deemed unworthy to walk the streets of his kingdom.

Doflamingo noticed the growing crowd as well and spoke up, clearly in order for all those around to hear. "Sorry about the disturbance!" He pointed at Law. "This is the Shichibukai, 'Trafalgar Law'! He's the perpetrator behind the misprint of my abdication this morning! He tried to yank me down from my throne, but... There's no need to worry now! … I've just eliminated this threat!"

_'NO! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.' _

The crowd seemed to visibly relax at the news and chatted out loud. "So that's what happened!" … "Dressrosa was in such a panic!" … "Thank goodness!"

"Oi! Mingo!" Luffy yelled trying to get the false king's attention. His muscles in his arms were twitching, and his breaths were heavy and deep promising a wealth of anger lurking inside waiting to be spent.

Luffy looked down at Law, who was bleeding excruciatingly from his head, his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"How dare you do that to Toraman!"

Dolflamingo grinned. "Strawhat, you're in no place to speak to me like that! Law was originally one of my men! I'm the one who had to set things right!"

"Kin!" Zoro yelled, jumping into action. "Carry Tora-man away!"

"Understood!" He confirmed and picked Law up like one might pick up a shopping sack, while running as fast as he could.

_'That's the best bet for now. Run first, regroup and attack later. Now if only I could get a message to...'_

"Vice admiral, sir!" one of the marines called out. "The "Pirate Hunter" is on the move! Should we capture him!?"

_'Please no. Please no. Please no. Not now! They have enough on their plates. They can't deal with them now as well.'_

_**'Them? what do you mean, THEM!'**_

_'Us!... I meant us now, … as well.'_

I heard Bastille's deep voice affirm. "Hmmm... alright!"

_'Damn it! NO!' Okay, now I can sort of sympathize with the Strawhats on Alabasta, this must have been what Zoro felt like when I and Smoker were hunting them down in the desert.' _

"Hold your positions."

"Hey! Explain to us what's going on there!" Chopper yelled from the Thousand sunny.

"Law-dono was felled before our very eyes!" Kinemon explained. "...by Doflamingo!"

"Ehh!?" Nami.

"The 'Pirate Hunter' … and 'Kin'emon of the foxfire is it!?" Doflamingo stepped forward and asked sounding almost conversational. "I saw a Brat who looked an awful lot like Momonosuke on that ship, back there." his grin spread across his devious face.

"Don't let him trick you!" Zoro picked up the pace, giving a small glance to Kinemon. He seemed to be directing that comment to him in particular, as if trying to estimate whether or not Kinemon might be susceptible to threats and suggestions where his son was involved. "We'd never hand him over!"

"But of course you wouldn't!" Kinemon said.

"Fuffuffu!" The pink, feathery pirate warlord laughed.

Just then falling from the sky in flash of light came Fujitora and his sword stopped Zoro's just as he'd lifted it to strike at the Joker, he struck it in mid swing.

_'Damn! No! Not him! Not against Zoro!'_

I walked back and forth in the spot where the others had been. _'I'm useless! __I__n this form … even if I do … do something I can__'t__ help __the__m!'_

I heard the ground crack and it began to ripple away from both Zoro and the Admiral Fujitora. A huge pressure began to build up in the air around us, and for the first time in a long while I felt intense fear, but it wasn't the fear of my own safety, but a fear for his.

_'I'm afraid for him...'_ I looked at the both of them, and my wooden legs began to tremble under the pressure of Fujitora's power.

'I_ don't want him to die. I don't want his life to be wasted. I don't want him to go... I don't want Fujitora to win this battle...'_

**_'Traitor!'_**

_'No, just this once I want to...'_

**_'You're becoming a traitor to the world government and everything you held sacred!'_**

'No, it's just a ...'

**_'Traitor!'_**

The strange and judgmental mind of mine the side of me that became angry too quickly, finally became silent when the ground shook and cracked. A huge, black hole appeared infront of me and Zoro disappeared from my sight. I should have screamed, but for some reason my voice was stuck, it had become solid, as if I had finally, truly become a toy with no voice at all. '_He... he can't be hurt..? He can't be dead...?' _Unbelief clouded my mind and my legs bent against my will and I inched closer to the edge trying to peer over it.

Dust billowed up from the ground. I took a few steps closer to the edge, but could still see nothing.

_ 'I refuse to believe he's dead. No. He's not dead!'_

**_'How can you be sure though?'_**

_'I just know he's not dead.'_

"Zoro-dono!?" Kinemon yelled.

"What happened to Zoro!? Kin'emon!" Usopp demanded an answer, unfortunately only being able to hear every second word that was uttered, and not, understandably, getting what had just happened by hearing the grunts and groans of a few people here and there.

"Zoro-Dono has...!" he started.

"KINEMON! ZORO!" Luffy yelled and grabbed a hold of the bars that he was behind. "I'll be right there..!" but he suddenly collapsed.

_'Well, it was seastone, afterall. What a surprise? These damned Pirate Warlords and their seastone cages.'_

_**'Not that us marines are ones to talk...'**_

_'But we have them to hold criminals, not to keep people from escaping from public places.'_

.

.

"NUAHHHH!"

The yell came so suddenly that those of us still nearby enough to hear it almost had their eardrums cut out. _'Was that Zoro?' _If I could have smiled just then I would have, but my new face had no such abilities.

"SHUDDER!" Fujitora sent another shock wave towards Zoro and split the ground where he had just been almost buried, but Zoro leapt out of the pit and landed to the side.

I sighed with relief, but then frowned at my immediate thought. '_I'm loosing it. I'm really loosing it. I'm routing for the Strawhats over the representatives of my own government.'_

**_'This is no time to get_ sappy and emotional, Tashigi!'**

_'No, you're right.'_

"Isshousan! Admiral-dono!"

I was silent and still and decided the best place for me was to remain near but quiet.

The Admiral's strong hands lifted his wooden stick infront of him. "A flying slash … how ferocious..."

"So the old blind gambler..." Zoro started, "...was really a marine admiral! Just like she said..." he then looked startled and then angry as if he hadn't even meant to say what he had.

_'Is he remembering me? Or at least bits of what I said to him back then.'_

"An Admiral!?" Luffy yelled.

"I fear that although your party treated me with kindness earlier... I must now bite the hand that fed me... such are the workings of fate..!" He kept his head down as if deep in thought about the situation that he couldn't see taking place before him.

"The man with Doflamingo is a marine Admiral!" Kinemon yelled into the receiver in his hand providing the much needed commentary to the worried, unwilling listeners on the other side.

Doflamingo picked up Law, whom had been dropped by Kinemon, and held him by the coat, in one hand, and then took off as if he was floating in the air itself.

"Law-dono! Law-dono! Do you still draw breath!? Please respond!" Kinemon yelled up at them.

"How are both of you flying!?" Zoro joined in, angry, but at the same time... I think curious.

"FUFFUFFUFFU!"

_'Damn him! That damn Joker,... Doflamingo's laugh is really starting to grate on my nerves.'_

"CAPTURE RORNOA ZORO!" another strong band of marines came at them as fast as they could with their weapons raised high.

I winced knowing what to expect, but not wanting to see it... '_They're going to do it. Zoro and Kinemon are going to cut down them all to escape.'_

"This is Kin'emon! They've taken Law-dono away!" Kinemon yelled into the poor Den Den Mushi.

"We're exposed here!" Zoro yelled. "Let's get out of here, for now!" and with that said, began running down the side of the Colosseum totally ignoring the threatening cries that the Marines were hurling their way.

I ran towards them. _'I hope I can soon find a way to get my body back. This is not the way I want to spend the remainder of my life.'_

Zoro saw me out of the corner of his eye. "Come on B.B! Or you'll be left behind!"

_'Shut up Zoro! Don't call me that!'_ Is what I wanted to say out-loud but all that seemed to come out were a few feeble sounding yelps. Once I had caught up with them and running alongside him, by the outer wall of the Colosseum, he quickly picked me up and tucked me under his arm like before. _'Well, I suppose this is easier than running the whole way.'_

"Tora-Man!" Luffy yelled, totally distracted from the immediate problems at hand and watching after the flying three, disappearing off into the clouds.

"HEY LUFFY!" Zoro yelled up at the young helmeted pirate. "Hurry up and find an exit! We'll be running around in this area!"

"GOT IT! Let's hurry, Tora-man's 'Voice' hasn't disappeared yet!" Luffy exclaimed finally focusing back on Zoro again.

"GYAHHHHH!" _'__Th__at__ was a massive scream from the den den mushi again. __It sounds like it was from...'_

"What's it now! That's Brook's group!" Luffy yelled. "The sunny-go! What's going on!?"

_'He said just what I was thinking.'_

"It's big MOM's Pirate Ship!"

"Why is a yonkou's ship here!" Brook yelled.

"Seriously!? Big mom's ship is there!?" Zoro asked, sounding like he didn't quite believe it himself.

"What's going on!? Luffy demanded. "Is Big Mom aboard!?"

"I don't know, but those two we met at fishman Island are here!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Big Mom!?" Usopp's voice was a shrill hollow compared to what it usually sounded like. "Luffy! This is because you picked a fight with her!"

_'He did what?! What the hell goes on in that mayhem driven mind of his!'_

"Seems like they're after Caesar!" Sanji sounded angry. "You're quite a popular guy huh! You evil scientist! I suppose that's just another ship come to rescue you!?""

"PLEASE SAVE ME!" Caesar's pathetic voice came through sounding high and squeaky.

"HUH!?"

"I MUSTN'T BE CAPTURED BY BIG MOM!" The noise came thorough loud and clear. "I once tricked her in order to acquire research funds...!"

"You did what!?" I could feel the hatred Sanji had for him at that moment, as if it was rolling off the transceiver.

"Well... never mind the details...! But anyway, if they catch me, I'll be exposed as a liar and killed for sure.." All I could imagine at that moment was the tall pathetic gas man kneeling before Sanji begging for him to save his worthless life..., and nothing would have pleased me more if I had heard the splash of Caesar as he hit the water after being kicked in by Sanji, but unfortunately Sanji had better self-control than I had anticipated.

"AS IF I CARE ABOUT YOUR SHITTY LIFE!" Sanji yelled back. "...BUT THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE HANDING YOU OVER! SO JUST SHUT UP!"

"BOOM! BOOM!" a thunderous noise sounded back to us.

_'Have they started firing on them already? I hope they get away in time.'_

"WAHHHH!" The cries of Nami, Caesar, Brook, and Chopper could be heard coming through the speaker along with sounds the waves hitting the ship and rocking it from side to side.

_'It must be quite a barrage.'_

"Shit! and at a time like this!" Sanji swore loud and clear. "We need to get far away from Dressrosa! Think we can lose them?!"

"Is Everyone alright! Sanji!" Franky's voice boomed. "But Wait! Hey! Don't draw the Yonkou any closer to this country! The citizens would all panic, and our soldiers' battle plans would be thrown into chaos!"

Luffy was frowning in confusion, while running alongside Zoro and Kinemon behind the barred wall. "Hmmm? Hold on, why is Caesar on the ship!?"

"Seems like the deal failed!" Zoro exclaimed the obvious to the confused Captain. "Law wouldn't be in such a pinch if everything had gone as planned!"

"Law told us to bring Caesar with us to the next Island, so that's why we've got him!" Sanji answered Luffy.

"Sanji! I don't think we should return! But I'm not saying that because I'm afraid! Listen, Luffy!" Nami's voice yelled over the crashing and booming sound around her. "There are now three 'Cards' that we're struggling against Doflamingo for! Caesar, the smile factory, and for some reason, Momonosuke. The smile factory hasn't yet been destroyed, so that one's still his, but we have the other two cards here. Law's fight with Doflamingo was a mere decoy, so that we could get these cards far away from him, and I suspect that he was also fighting in order to buy time for destroying the factory!"

_'Got to hand it to her. She has a pretty tactical mind. She's pretty good at reading into the situation and deciding what needs to be done.'_

"That's right." Luffy nodded in agreement to Nami's exclamation. "Got it! We're definitely gonna steal back Tora-man!" Luffy yelled at Kinemon. "What's the next Island again!?"

"It is Zou, that it is!" Kinemon yelled back, slightly angry that Luffy had forgotten his countries name so easily.

"Sanji! Nami! Chopper! Brook! Momo! Keep on heading for Zou!" Luffy yelled.

_'Well it'll be a wonder that no one heard that within 50 metres of us. They're going to send forces to Zou to catch the strawhats there... how the hell are we going to manage this?'_

"Understood Captain. Alright, I just need permission for one thing!" Sanji asked. There was a small pause in his question. "Allow me …. to fire back at Big Mum's Ship."

Luffy laughed in spite of the conversation. "Ah, sure thing! We already picked the fight so okay!"

"That's way to dangerous!" came a scream.

"You bet it is." came the reply.

"See you guys later, then. We'll be waiting for you at Zou!"

"OKAY! LEAVE THE DESTRUCTION OF THAT FACTORY TO US!" Franky yelled with renewed determination.

I briefly glanced back up at Luffy and saw a serious expression on his face. "Stay safe everyone! We'll be heading for the palace!"

I looked at the long road ahead and noticed how quickly Zoro was moving on it. '_So this was how the strawhats decided on things...'_

"We're heading for the palace! TO KICK DOFLAMINGO'S ASS!" Luffy exclaimed and the rest of crew cheered or cried out briefly stirred up by his bold words.

_'Will this really work? Or will this be the downfall of the strawhats?'_ I lay limp in Zoro's grasp feeling again too useless to do anything. _'I underestimated them before, in Logue Town, Alabasta, and Punk Hazard. And the whole of HQ underestimated him when they took Robin to be executed at Impel Down, and when they took his brother captive... maybe just maybe, this might work out for the good of the Strawhats again.'_

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**It's the 4th of May so I must say.**

"**May the Fourth be with you."**

**and now it's Friday the 6th.**

**So... In seven days it's my birthday! Hurray! What should I do for my birthday?...**


	31. Reasons to Cry

**Chapter 31.**

**Thank you everyone for my birthday wishes! They were lovely!**

**I haven't done much for my birthday as of yet, if going to the English National history museum by myself counts as a birthday treat... well I did that. But that just makes me sound like a really sad sausage doesn't it.**

**And my boyfriend and I also split up yesterday, I was really sad at first, but now that I've had time to think about it... it's probably for the best. Let's put it this way... if I'm like Tashigi... cough cough... then my boyfriend was like … Sanji. He was super caring and amazing, rather handsome and sweet. He liked praising my qualities to the skies, and buying me lots of things and taking me out nice places. But he was also very good at complaining about his lot in life and how people seemed to discriminate him on many different occasions. He was not happy where he was living or working with his boss and kept on getting angry at me for not being 100% open with him about whatever I was thinking all the time. So that was exhausting. He was so intense and passionate and then announced the relationship was one-sided and that he had changed his profile status to single, which I was a bit upset with, but then thought about it and told him I think he did the right thing and that he was trying to push the relationship to far to fast. To which he then sort of broke down, saying everything was his fault for trying too hard and that I had been the only woman he had loved for 5 years... **

**Yeah... I didn't really believe it either. He was so intense and romantic I felt like he was smothering me in love and that I needed to bolt as fast as possible. So, yeah. We chatted later and talked through what he was going to do next, (Because he also decided to quit his job) and I just basically told him that he was worth more than what he was getting paid and that he needed to get better qualifications because he was very capable in his job field, but that I wasn't up for renewing our relationship because he needed to get his life sorted out. And so on and so forth... And then I started talking to him about anime and how One Piece was going, (Because I introduced him to it) and he has just watched the Nami Arch, which he said he was absolutely blown away by. He loves it! :D All thanks to knowing me. Hurray!**

**Anyway... This weekend I'm going up to see my family to celebrate my birthday! So that will be really nice. **

**Well! Enough about my life. Enjoy the next chapter!**

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Hard Lines: Reasons to Cry

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"This outfit is perfect! A far better disguise than the ones we were wearing before."

_'Kinemon is a mad man. I somehow have always known that but now it's been confirmed.' _

I clicked my neck again and looked back at him doing my best to hold my frustration in check. "These are the disguises you decided were worth stealing from that shop we passed. They're crap."

Kinemon let off some steam fuelled by his pride and glared back at me. "They're perfect for what we need. They will conceal us, and no one will be able to tell it's us, inside them."

I picked up one cat-ish costume and observed it. "Or they'll deliberately check us out because we'll be looking really suspicious in this rubbish."

"I didn't see you thinking of anything useful!" Kinemon grabbed the largest costume and jumped into it.

"You couldn't have gotten something a little cooler, like a dragon, or a ..."

The dog ran into my leg. "Oi! BB stop that!"

"See even the dog thinks you're being stupid! Just put it on already." Kinemon growled out.

Just then I saw Luffy leap down from one of the top windows.

"Finally you're out!" I said running up to Luffy. '_Something's not right. He's got puffy eyes and he's crying none stop. What the hell happened?'_

"Here!" Kinemon grabbed Luffy and shoved a costume over him as soon as he was near enough. "You too Zoro!" he yelled back at me.

"Fine." I put on the crappy suit.

"UWAHHHHHA!" Luffy sounded like he had just found out that meat was now extinct.

"Why are you crying non-stop!?" I demanded.

"UWAHHHHHA!" Luffy couldn't answer and carried on sniffling and tearing.

'_W__hat the hell is wrong with him now!' _

"See! The marines are mistaking us for toys in the town!" Kinemon exclaimed happy in his choice of disguises, as we passed by a few of them.

I shook my head. "No, We nearly got found out...! All because of your weird taste in animal outfits! Too weird!"

"Uhh? No, these should be very common particularly Luffy's."

I glanced over at Luffy's costume again. '_It's just a walking fish... I don't see any walking fish around. And he's the walking, wailing fish...'_

"Uhhwaaahhhh.. sniff sniff!"

_'Damn this is getting irritating. Haven't heard Luffy cry like this ever. What the hell happened? Has someone cut off his balls or something?'_

"Are you finished crying yet Luffy! Do you still want to go and save Law or do you want to snivel?"

Luffy gave a loud sniff as if snorting up his runny nose. "I wan' to save Law.. I have to save him, and beat up Doflamingo! There's no problem with the 'Fire Fruit' anymore..."

_'What the hell? What fire fruit?'_ I cleared my throat. "But are you ok?!"

"I really never thought... sniff... he would still be alive..."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked intrigued.

"I... I always... Always thought... He was Dead!"

I raised an eyebrow, but he could take it anymore and carried on crying. _'Well Luffy can tell us in his own time.'_

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**Note from '****Abigail ****Skywalker':**

"So! During this terrible time of filler and awesome fight sequences and single fights between peoples that I either don't care about or whom Oda forces you to care about through easy reasons of sad childhood or cruel parenting, mad mistakes, fanboyism, fangirlism, and simple mean-spirited people making them evil. Through this wonderful repetition he will get you routing for people you don't want to like and feeling sorry for people you originally wanted to punch in the head... (Doflamingo) (Babyface! Hard-Boiled! guy) (Green haired barrier man)... Man I hated them!"

"But tough luck! If Oda has decided you need to like someone. He will make you like them. For REASONS! And he will deadicate a whole big bunch of time writing their sad backstory down for you to better understand them."

"So, anyway during this time our little toy soldier is busy telling Franky how to be awesome and punch his way into the toy factory by using the front entrance, making a distraction so that the little 'Fairies' so to speak, and the useless hero characters Usopp and Robin, can go and put Sugar the grape eating toymaker to sleep."

"Now if I'm going to be totally honest here. This is a moment where, I think if Oda had been nearby, I would have gone all Nami on his plot and shaken him from head to toe. I mean has he forgotten that he originally wrote Robin as a mysterious assassin that broke people's legs, arms, and necks when they tried to kill her. OR that she had been chosen as Crocodile's second in command! Miss. All Sunday. The one who would sacrifice an entire country as long as she can discover the lost history, because who the hell were they to her, and what had they ever done for her people when they were gunned down. The mysterious lady that Zoro couldn't trust as fast as all the others."

"Crocodile was another Warlord for heaven's sake! The same, if a little weaker than Doflamingo... I think. So why! Oh Why! Couldn't she just pick up a few tables, or floors, or ships with a giant hand or something and squish that Sugar girl and slime monster flat. And then none of the pixie people would have died. :(

"And as it turns out he did all that so that Usopp could act like a coward again and then overcome his cowardice and scare the girl unconcious and save Robin's useless ass. WHAT THE HELL! I have never been so mad at a blasted episode before. AND then to make matters worse he gets called a god because he saved all the dumbass toys! …... GAH! So so sosossosososososo stupid! As if people could ever make that mistake with him of all people."

"I had always hoped that after the time skip that Usopp would show a bit more backbone and have more skills to show to his teamates, but ,... NO! This was not what I wanted... Not at the expense of making Robin just a cute-slutty-eye candy side package, for perverted young and old men to stare at when the plot isn't good enough, that doesn't know how to fight people."

"You know what Oda. You can take you dumb designs for development for both Robin and Nami, shove them into a blender, and make Luffy and Chopper eat the paper, because they are far too malnourished, and short. Come on! 'They are way to short to be 19 and 18 years of age or whatever they're supposed to be right now.' And then give me back the older designs for the girls, because they were sassier, cooler, amazingly braver, and by far superior than these modernized bleached babes... I mean come on! Why is Robin white!? I thought she originally was supposed to have darker skin. That was one of the reasons I was so attracted to One Piece from the start. Everyone was so different! It was amazing and so unlike the rest of anime out there at the time when all character designs were almost identical and the only way you could tell people apart was because they had different hair colour, eye colour, or clothes on. But now!"

! #$%^^)*(^%*%

….

…..

"okay I need to calm down. It's just a story. It's just a story. It's not his fault that the animators decided to make Robin white. Or is it!?"

"Calm down..."

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"Okay! I'm all good now. I just needed to get that off my chest. It was making my boobs grow out of proportion like Nami's have been every second year or so."...

"Anyway, So I'm bored with Dressrosa. And I'm going to be writing chapters for my favourite moments with alterations, and then a 'Skippalicious Chapter' (because we just love to skip over the boring stuff) in which I will talk about, (like this), what else is happening in the story without actually writing down all the soppy back story stuff that Oda loves to include in all his arch stories." :(

"So, yeah, sorry this chapter hasn't been very good, (if you could even call this a chapter) but I'm going to jump back into the story from another point after this so watch out! :D Oh... One Piece! Although I hate it. At times I love it, and lucky for you I like it too much to let it go. Oh flip no! I sound way too possessive, blast it! My life sucks. …. Well no it doesn't. Robin's and Tashigi's does. But I won't let that get to me. Come on girls! Fight! Girl power! Someone save Zoro for once! Change up the characters a bit Oda! Come on shake it up! Have Law save Luffy or something. Or dedicate an episode to the terrors of drowning for all devil fruit users and have a flash back on all the different times Luffy's ass was saved by Zoro and Nami. Or Something! I don't know."

"So. Have a sunny Saturday guys! And enjoy yourselves. I'll be writing again once I've come back from a walk outside in the sun! :D hopefully that will improve my mood."

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**PS. I wrote most of the above (the story section, not the rant) in May. Sorry it's taken so long to update... I've been distracted and writing another story. :(**

**But I won't give up on this one! :D**

**Give me a review if you like it, or even if you didn't.**


	32. Trunks and Teddy

**Hiya! To all of you happy readers out there, I want to thank you for following my story so far and for all your amazing reviews and comments. They have all been really thoughtful and respectful. **

**To ****Zlindquist for the review on chapter 31: Jul 1**

I feel very honoured that you've only just started reading fanfiction and that you think this story is fantastic. I try to keep things interesting, but it can be differcult at times.

**To ****Queen for your Review in chapter 6 and 9: Jul 11**

I'm always very aware of how Zoro interacts with all the other characters on the show/series. Sometimes he's kind and noble, shy and embarrassed, funny and witty, and at other times he downright angry and mean. But as in the Anime and in the Manga, what drew me to this pairing to begin with was how he was showing all these groups of feelings when he interacted with Tashigi. I wanted him to get to know her better because she brought out all these different aspects of his character that seemed to remain hidden. Although he told Luffy his dream of becoming the world greatest swordsman, he didn't tell him why. And I found it fascinating that Tashigi got more out of him in her what… two hours of knowing him in Logue Town, than the rest of the crew do in months of travelling with him.

It's right for Tashigi to have mixed feelings for Zoro. Love can't just be fixed between them like magic. They're too complicated for that.

Yeah…. My family is weird. Kidnapping game… that was super weird.

**To ****Lily for your Review in chapter 12: Jul 11**

Of course a flirting game between Zoro and Tashigi is going to be thrilling. That's why we read this sort of thing. :D And Zoro is always going to be chasing.

**To ****Alex for your Review in chapter 31: Jul 13**

I really hope I get back to writing for this story soon as well. I'm very interested in their adventures, as you might have guessed. They're so cute together.

**To ****Queen for your Review in chapter 31: Jul 13**

Hurray! I got you to ship a pair that you never considered before! Whoah! Good news! Yay!

**To ****Noble Pirate for your Review in chapter 23 and 27: Jul 19**

I know what you mean. It has been pretty brutal at times. But I also think they're both so stubborn at times that they have to be brutal to each other. The heart to heart stuff can come later. :D

I don't know the full extent of Sugar's powers and I don't think Oda thought that part through either. She is a little overpowered as it goes, but I think what I have written seems to be farely doable. Yes, he might not have forgotten the fact that he was a swordsman, but then again there are people in Dressrosa that have forgotten that they are married or have ever had children, so I think it is highly possible that Zoro forgot he wanted to be a swordsman temporarily, as Kuina was his main drive in becoming the greatest swordsman, and his own memory had blurred the lines between Tashigi and Kuina.

**To ****irishgrlnextdoor for your Review in chapter 31: Aug 6**

SHehehehe! I managed to get it in your head that this story idea was canon rather fanfiction! Yay! Best news all week.

So…. When top-knot was talking with Zoro about the fame surrounding the strawhats (and talking about Nami's wanted poster being so popular amongst the navy soldiers and Zoro wondering if Tashigi maybe kept his) and you mentioned it during a one piece discussion with friends. Hehehehehe…. That's priceless. Oh well. They would have probably looked at me that way as well if I had been there.

I don't care if it IS just fanfiction either. When you start writing stories you become more ingrosed in your world than you do in the world that you're basing it on. It's totally a fact to me.

I can believe. Their joint cluminess is so cute together, but people don't often ship them because of all the other ships out there. I mean… Yeah… Zoro is shipped with everyone.

**To ****OtakuFaithy for your Review in chapter 31: Aug 11**

I'm so glad you think 'THIS STORY IS AMAZING!' Please do re-read it as much as you like. I really hope I can update soon too.

**To ****XxStarSniperxX for your Reviews in C9: Sep 2, **

I really loved your punctuation at the beginning of this review. :D 'This. Chapter. And. Sto. Is. So. AMAZING!' Hehehehe.

Thanks. I always try to get all the character's personalities correct or relatively interesting. I want to be able to go back myself and reread my own work without feeling bored or disappointed with the careless chemistry. So, I'm glad I getting it right in other people's books as well.

Yeah… I can't imagine Zoro crying either… but then again he had rivers pouring down his face in the east blue after Mihawk beat him, and when he swore to Luffy that he would never lose again. (Luffy is such a lucky dude, to get someone like Zoro on his crew.)

Who knew that wrapping up people in a blanket makes them genius's. :D Thanks a lot.

**C20: Sep 3,**

Thank you for answering my questions:

I agree with you. I dislike how weak Tashigi is at times, and as a writer I would like for her to become stronger, and when I started this story I initially intended her to be so, but considering how she is always the punching bag for both heroes and villains, I thought I'd reveal her strengths gradually.

Your favorite characters are the same as mine. :D and for similar reasons. YAY!

To be honest with you, I'd prefer more kissing scenes between Zoro and Tashigi as well, but you know… Plot… it gets in the way sometimes there's no helping it. The romance between Tashigi and Zoro is never going to be an easy going romance for reasons explained in the story. Ahh…. Forbidden love. What to do.

Nami is the queen of the pirates. I totally agree with you. That's enough said.

**C22: Sep 4**

Nerdy Empress. Yep. That's my youtube name. I've recently fallen in love with another pairing from DC. Bet you can't guess who they are…. :D

**C24: Sep 4**

I've just reread my goals for 2016 that I wrote in that chapter and… well… lets just say I got a bit depressed.

Goal 1. I haven't yet finished any of my fanfiction.

Goal 2. I haven't yet written a story worth publishing.

Goal 3. I got another job! Yay! Tick.

Goal 4. Travel… nope.

Goal 5. Haven't been saving money…

Goal 6. Did get a boyfriend… He was high maintenance, always wanting to see me every single weekend. I felt a bit to smothered in his undying love, which is something I had never really thought about being a problem before, … well… until I met him. Looking back on it he was quite like Sanji. A total shock to the system. Except unlike Sanji, my ex was more into talking about how shitty his job was all the time and how much he hated it… I told him if he hated it so much to just go and find a new one. Not that hard! Go get it!

Yeah. Actually he's like Sanji, but stuck in his restaurant… and never leaving.

**C27, C29, and C31: Sep 4**

Yes, This has happened.. I would also like this story to get a bit more romantic... but… not yet. * wink * wink *

"**Spoilers!" **Well when Zoro does get his memories back about Tashigi then you should expect some feisty scenes to commence. Not so much romantic though… :P

You find it annoying. I find it annoying. We all find it annoying apart from Oda who tends to like painting women as weak sex objects nowadays. (I am not amused.)

Don't worry about commenting too much. I love it when people do. It makes me excited when other people get excited about what I get excited about… yeah that made sense.

To be honest with you, I have had fun with writing this story, but there are times like now… when the plot gets a bit dried up, and it isn't running so smoothly. But I'm going to crack back into it.

**Chapter 32. **

**Wow! That was a long intro. **

**Time to get back to the story. **

**.**

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Hard Lines: Trunks and Teddy

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The weather is dry and dusty somehow for the middle of town, and I knew that it didn't matter how hot it got… because my arms and legs couldn't feel a thing. No, not arms, I meant legs…

I ran as fast as my, (now) four legs could carry me. I initially felt bad about leaving Zoro, but then again… '_no. I don't.'_

'_I need to do this. This is the perfect opportunity after all. I've been forgotten. They don't know who I am anymore. All I need to do is get myself changed back, and then I can call for backup, and explain part of the Strawhats' plan to them. The straw hat crew… they'll be fine on their own… right?'_

'_**Maybe, but it's also highly likely that anyone you tell will change your story to fit in with what they want to hear.'**_

'_Well, I guess they might, most people do end up slightly changing a tale, it all depends on the messenger. Sorry guys,… but you would have probably have done the same thing if the situation was reversed. Now all I need to do is find that girl, Sugar again.' _

I had heard over the radio thing, that all we needed to do, to reverse this strange and bizarre trick of a devil fruit power, is to knock-out or shock the girl into unconsciousness. '_That should be easy enough.'_

'_But how is it that she hasn't had sleep or been knocked out in years?'_

'_**How am I supposed to know all that?'**_

I walked up to the toy entrance and no one moved to stop me. About 20+ men and women were guarding the entrance but not one of them seemed to notice me. _'Maybe there's another way in? or Maybe they have only been told to prevent humans from entering the toy house.'_

"Hurry up and get a move on!" About eighteen men and seven women rushed through the archway to the main entrance at once. I ran quickly to the side. '_I don't want to get run over or questioned.'_

"There are intruders in the toy house!" Another lacky said.

'_Intruders hey?'_ I sat down and tried to look like I belonged there. '_I want to hear about this.'_

"He's fighting against senor pink at the east door!"

"Is it true that we get a bonus if we kill him!?" Someone with huge shoes said, stamping his feet with a zealous grin on his face.

"Really!? How much?" another man with a quire hat asked.

"Let's go upstairs!"

"Well, it's prize money it's definitely a lot." The first guy reinforced.

"Really!?"

"So they say!"

They soon all ran after one another to try and be the first one to take out this other person. _'Well, according to this, it looks like Franky's begun his attack already. I wonder if Usopp and Robin have found a way in too.'_

After, for what seemed like an age I finally came across the other toy house entrance. I stood off to a side for a little while and just watched other toys stepping in and out of the brightly lit front door. Before long Franky stepped up to the door and in a garish pride of whatever it was that made him proud he started causing a ruckus, and he challenged the doorkeepers at the entrance.

'_Perfect distraction.' _I moved to leave and get back to the first entrance. Hopefully with the more mess he makes the more spectators he'll get.

"Senor Pink!" I heard a girl yell out from amongst a throng of them. I say 'girl'… but I think that would be an insult to all young girls. They would have been, most probably, a whole lot smarter as young girls, than they are now, as powdered, pathetic, and pampered sex dolls. '_Revolting. Do they actually enjoy their work? Were they paid to worship him or did they want to…' __**'Ah! That's a disturbing thought.'**_

She ran to the edge of the ring, of the scantily clad, slim women and blew a kiss to the … man?... That had decided that Franky was worth fighting. The man in question was wearing a bib, a baby bonnet, a dummy, and a ….. No. I'm not going to bother mentioning the rest.

'_What the hell is he wearing?... What are his reasons? How is that respectful or graceful or…..?' __**'Don't question an ex-pirate's logic? It will only rot your mind**__!' 'Maybe… he likes or has passion for children's clothes…. Or just likes attacking and killing small children in his free time?' _I wouldn't put it past someone who is connected to Doflamingo. '_... or maybe a child died before him and he never lets any child get hurt before him again…. Or maybe he's simple a messy eater and wanted a bib, but decided he'd go all out in his outfit designing. Even so. That's a bit extreme.' _

'_**No! We said don't think about it! Focus!' **_

"Oh!" Another lame lady one called out in a loud voice. "Baby! You're so hard boiled!" And she apparently was so moved by his fighting skills that she fell to her knees.

If I had been in my human form, which I'm now thankful that I wasn't, I might have barfed at the groutesk image before me, and the awful praise. _**'Hard boiled?! Hard Boiled?! What the hell had these people been forced on? What had they been smoking!?' **__'Even when I've been in close proximity of Smoker for a few days I'm never this high.'_

'_I mean I don't intend on going about telling other women who they should choose to respect in life, but someone who works for Doflamingo? Really? Couldn't they get any other work or pleasure someplace else? What the hell is wrong with people these days.'_

Hurrying away from that location I waited a little longer until both Doflamingo's followers had all left their current defensive position, and made they way over to the main entrance where they had started blowing each other up, and the bits of the surrounding area had been sent flying.

I walked forwards and slipped past the security door. I'm in.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be.

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'_She's also a devil fruit user. I need to get some sea stone to put on her.' _

I looked around the room of toys that I had landed in, but none of these toys were moving. It was as if they were dead. I followed a series of tunnels and tiny passageways down from the entrance until I was finally out of sight of the main entrance. Standing in the light made me feel unsafe, as if anyone could be watching me. I came across a large and filthy map that seemed to have been forgotten out of the metallic hands of a red and blue tin robot. It was easy enough to understand, but I could only just read it in the heavy darkness, with what little light was available from the dull shades of the walls.

The tunnels twisted and turned in strange ways but eventually they all sloped downwards, until I came into a huge cavernous room. '_This… must be located somewhere beneath the Royal Palace.'_ It was a huge trade port of sorts, but run by toys instead of people. Toys everywhere! just trugging along and shuffling about as if their lives depended on doing a good job.

'_This must be how they have been using the toys all this time; as simple slaves that have no need to be fed or recharged?'_ I felt really angry at whoever had done this… and for some reason I hadn't been caught, and/or dragged here. _'No, but instead you've just come here under your own free will, which some others might say was worse and stupid.'_

'_I must say… This devil fruit power… it has incredible power. It is an ingenious method of getting someone else to do your dirty work, but all these people!... All of them were once breathing and living human beings, or whatever else they might have been. This land was so strange. Fairies, toys, what else is in this land.' _

I looked down at the map again. '_So, I need to help in the sabotaging of the toy factory. I'm not going to be any good when it comes to fighting. I can't hold a sword and my size and weight are none existent.' _

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"What are you doing here?" A gruff and old looking teddy bear asked.

"Ha… hello." I stuttered. And then jumped a bit at the sound of my voice again. '_Maybe the no speaking thing was temporary.' _

"Can't you … um stop working?" I asked one large teddy as he walked past me.

" I haven't been able to stop now for two years. I'm so tired… I'm able to do what I want most of the time, but by the time the sun sets I feel my feet bringing me back here to this dark and damp place, and I work all the way through the night."

He suddenly turned in my direction as if only just then being able to see me for the first time. "Why are you not working?" His soggy arms came down on my head. "Who are you and how come you are not doing any work?"

I shook my head. "That doesn't matter right now. I'm looking for the girl that changed us all into toys. Do you know where she is?"

He instantly stepped back away from me. "Why would you want to search for her? She could change you into something worse if she wanted to. Or she could just kill you outright. If I was like you and could be free to move under my own will I'd be out of this place and setting sail!"

I stamped my feet on the ground and turned away from him. "What…? As a toy? I'm no coward. I want to find this little girl again and force her to change me back!"

He put his teddy-bear face into his fluffy-soggy paws. "You can't! Are you an idiot? Do you really think that no one has tried that before? I was a pirate when I first landed on these shores and I haven't been able to leave this place since…."

"But surely they can't control you all at once. Why can't you all tell the people of dressrosa the truth?" I asked.

"Of course we have tried to and…." And as if he had suddenly been set to autopilot by some unseen machine he stopped talking, picked up the box that was at his feet, and slowly started inching forward.

"Hey! Teddy bear um… man! What were you going to say?" I followed after him and noticed that he was shaking.

He kept on walking until he was at the edge of a huge pit. Afraid for his life I ran out in front of him and dug my feet into the ground. His voice was none existent, but I could feel the fear radiating from him as if it were my own.

"Stop!" I yelled. "I command you to stop!"

Still nothing. He was inching slowly forward being pulled by a force unknown.

He stood in front of me and pushed forwards carrying on his walk.

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**End of Chapter 32**


	33. SKIPILIOUS CHAPTER, and Fish Fist

**Chapter 33: **

**Okay. I'll be honest. I've been trying to decide on what to edit and what to keep and I think it was time to have one of my promised Skipilipious chapters. Not very interesting, but I thought it was necessary. I know you have all probably watched all of the Dressrosa episodes…. (Yeah…) , but I thought it would be good to put in so you knew what else was happening in the story as I'm not going to add all the different points of view in my story that Oda feels compelled to do in his. Just so you realize, if you think you know everything about one piece Dressrosa arch, then by all means skipilip! … this terrible chapter! This is just here so you know what's happening, and this is chapter 1 in skipilipiousness. **

**:D**

**This is how long the crazily huge Dressrosa ark actually is..….**

**Volumes**70-80, 11 volumes

**Manga Chapters: **700-801, 102 chapters

**Anime Episodes:**629-746, 118 episodes

**Year(s) Released:**2013-2015 (Manga) Oh my golly gosh!

2014-2016 (Anime) Oh shoot! That was a long time! No wonder we all got so bored.

**.**

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Hard Lines: SKIPILIOUS CHAPTER 1! + Fish Fist.

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Recap from the original story. Chess piece story telling…

So! Meanwhile underground, the Tontattas help move Usopp and Robin toward the factory. Usopp talks with the Thunder Soldier about the Doflamingo Family who explains that he has three lieutenants who each control a section of his army. There's the Trebol Army, a Special Powers team of which Sugar, Violet, and Jora are a part of. The Diamante Army, whose specialty is fighting, includes Lao G, Senor Pink, Machvise, and Dellinger. The Pica Army, the commando unit comprised of Gladius, Buffalo, and Baby 5. He also mentions the executive officer Vergo and the officer Monet, but states they are away on business (unaware they were both killed at Punk Hazard). Eventually, the group reaches the factory where they see the toys are being forced to work or be thrown into the "Junkyard" if they do not meet their quota. As they finally reach the destination, Usopp and Robin peek out and notice that the place is really a huge harbor.

Back at the underground harbor, Usopp notices that the Thunder Soldier is not with them, to which the Tontattas state once they break Sugar's powers, he will attempt to assassinate Doflamingo in the confusion. They show Usopp and Robin a layout of the area with Trebol and Sugar being kept in the tower in the center of the harbor. Suddenly two of the harbor's guards spot Usopp, mistaking him for one of the underground traders. Before they can question why he's there, the Tontattas quickly strip them and and knock them out, giving Usopp and Robin the guard's clothes so they can sneak around. With that Usopp orders the group to lead them to Sugar.

Meanwhile at the base of the Royal Plateau, Luffy, Zoro and Kin'emon are being led by Wicca to one of the palace's entrance lifts. Just as they reach there, they are suddenly met by Viola who offers to lead them inside. Viola introduces herself to Luffy's group. Wicca informs the others that she is the princess of the kingdom to their surprise. While Viola herself states she knew of the Tonttata's actions, thanking her for believing in her father. Viola then shows them a secret passage that was used for emergencies for the Riku Family that will take them into the palace. Kin'emon suggests Luffy head up it and pull the chain so they can ride up. Luffy agrees and Zoro and Kin'emon hop on with the latter beckoning Viola to join them.

At the Royal Palace, Viola tells the others that the doors lead to the ramparts and that there is a secret entrance to which they will take. She also states that they would have no chance of toppling Doflamingo if the top brass were involved, especially Pica. However, Kin'emon discovers that Luffy is missing but not for long as Luffy attacks the palace doors with a Giant Pistol. Luffy announces the doors to be open, to which Viola tells the others to hurry through the doors as it is the fastest way of entry. One of the guards recognizes Luffy and informs Doflamingo due to the apparent contradiction. Doflamingo listens as he watches Lucy dodge a fighting fish on the screen. Baby 5 tries to confirm the identity of the intruders but the guard replies with the same: Straw Hat Luffy, Zoro and Viola are the intruders. At this Doflamingo becomes extremely enraged asking who is running around the colosseum as Lucy.

'**Author note. HE hehehehehe! Smash that Damn door! Luffy's awesome!'**

Back at the coliseum, the finals are underway as a Fighting Fish tries to attack Burgess. But he manages to use a device on his arm to send it flying into the stands. The fish with the Flame-Flame Fruit emerges and charges for Rebecca who dodges. "Lucy" jumps onto the fish but Diamante attacks him claiming him to be Straw Hat. "Lucy" however smashes through his flag powered sword much to his surprise. Burgess then decides to take "Lucy" head-on using the attack from before. But much to his and the audience surprise, "Lucy" forms Haki over his hand and strikes at Burgess's elbow. The impact breaking away the armor. Upon seeing this and realizing the fighting style is not the same, Diamante starts doubting if the person really is Luffy.

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**END OF SKIPILIOUS MOMENT! **

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Fish Fist, and Enter Pica

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I pushed the chained door open along with Kinemon and looked out. _'nothing but clear blue skies, green grass, and stone everywhere I look. Where is everyone?'_

"It seems like no one is here." Kinemon's Frog face spoke to me.

I walked across the drawbridge…wall/door thing and jumped onto the grass. I felt oddly graceful even in this weird cat-suite, which I hadn't expected, but I'll be fine. I inspected the area. Stonewalls and towers that seemed to lead nowhere were everywhere, and I felt very grateful that I wasn't by myself. _'I'd be damned if I was.'_

"Alright! We made it!" Luffy said stepping out in his fish costume.

"Wait!" The woman said. "Could you close the door?"

We did as she asked, then walked away from the wall, and passed a pond towards a huge building with a massive door in it. We all hid behind a wall and analysed the situation. '_Well I was trying to. Luffy was trying to pick his nose, and finding it too difficult.'_

Luffy sounded awed at how huge it was. "Is that the entrance to the palace?!"

"Shhhhh." She said. "No, that's the entrance of the Rampart Tower, which stands under the Palace."

"Under?" Luffy turned his fish costume around to look at her.

"Yes, if we are still to reach the palace we must go up. The Rampart Tower also has a secret entrance, so we should enter by going up that route. Let's go. Don't let the guards see you. If we cause a scene they'll call all the executives and then we'll be stuck. Particularly if they send the one they call Pica after us. All hopes of facing Doflamingo will be lost."

We started following her, when Kinemon realized how quiet it was. "Where's Luffy gone?"

I looked back behind me and instantly knew we had a problem. '_Damn it Luffy, you trying to make our lives more difficult, she just said there was a secret entrance.'_

"Hey Look!" Wicca spoke up from the middle of the fur of my cat disguise, pointing at the poof of cloud that was being made by the running fish we all knew to be Luffy. I could physically feel through the air the shock and horror coming off the three beside me as they watched Luffy running towards the huge main entrance.

He yelled so loudly we could hear it where we were standing. "Gum Gum! Giant Pistol!"

"What the hell is that Carp doing?!" One of the many guards spoke up. Before anyone could stop him he had blown up his hand and brought it down, shattering the front door and braking it inwards.

"What the hell is he doing!?" We all yelled. The walls all around shook, and if our journey hadn't been secret before, I'm quite sure that it was common knowledge now. "Hey everyone, the strawhats are here." I muttered under my breath, '_I should have known that Luffy wouldn't be able to hold back for long. Just keep your cool.'_

Luffy looked back at us. "HEY Guys! It's open!"

'_Something in my mind has just snapped again!..._' "That's not the issue here dumbass!" I started running over to him. I heard the fairy, Wicca yell as well… 'Are you a bubble head?!' or something like that, in her high squeaky voice.

"I can't believe it!" Scarlett said. "And ran forwards as well. Well, since this is the fastest way. Come on!"

"Can I take this off now?..." Luffy complained, pulling at his fish costume. _'Please don't say you did all this because you are sick of being in disguises…'_

She sounded anger. "Do as you like!"

We ran up the stairs and just as we expected came into a stream of people all wanting to be cut up by someone famous.

I pulled off my own cat costume. It was a rubbish disguise anyway. I pulled my swords out and got ready to parry.

"Where's MINGO!" Luffy yelled just as he punched a few of his minion's in the face. '_You need to give them time to answer.'_ He bounced them into the floor, ceiling and walls, and somewhere else, knocked out with the power of his punches.

"Shoot them! Shoot them!" The green-legged minions ran towards us frantically, and I ran ahead getting my swords ready at either side. '_Come on Shusui and Kitetsu, You can do this. This is child's play.' _I sensed the bullets coming towards me and cut them all. '_Four is a good number.'_

Wicca fell off me, as I stopped suddenly to regain my footing and Kinemon caught her in his hands before she hit the ground. "Are you okay, little person?"

"Yeah…." She nodded, looking a little dazed.

"Kinemon, you take care of her." I decided.

"What?" He turned and looked at me. "But I have to find the place called The Toy House where my friend Kanjuro is held!"

Wicca started crying in thanks. "I want to go there too. To take part of operation SOP."

"Alright then. Zoro, we're going to the toyhouse together then." Kinemon nodded. Somehow becoming instant friends with the fairy.

"Do as you like." I said. _'It's not like he needed to ask permission or anything.'_

"Luffy, Zoro! Ninja Woman! I take my leave. Excuse me!" He bowed and then ran for the stairs leading down. '_Well, that one flaming sword down…Who might want to leave next?'_

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"Which way!" Luffy asked. As we climbed up a huge mound of stairs. "Damn! No one's here. We'll get to you soon Mingo!"

I turned around trying to see if anyone was following. "Their security can't keep up with us." I said._ 'I can't even hear footsteps.'_

Suddenly all the lights went out in the hallway and we were plunged into darkness.

"What's happening?" Luffy said, the sounds of a light wind rushed pass us and it suddenly became silent. "There's something in the wall." Luffy sounded confused as he squinted his eyes to see.

The ground bubbled and moved, making the entire floor shake. "A FACE?..." I looked at it more carefully.

"What the heck!?" Luffy allowed his jaw to drop.

A huge person made out of stones from the floor, ceiling and the stones bricks from the walls suddenly came to life and was moving in front of us. "A stone monster!"

"No!" the princess looked distraught.

A huge-ass face appeared out of the stone we had been walking on. _'Holy crap that is awesome!'_

"Wooooah!" Luffy yelled as he tried to leap over it. "He's huge! What does he eat!?

'_What the hell is happening!'_

"It's Pica!" Viola said. "He can merge his arms into the walls and floors, anything made out of stone and rock he can move and make it a part of his body. He's a stone assimilation human!"

"A stone assimilation human." I studied him while trying to keep my balance. '_I have never heard of that before.'_

"He doesn't look like a human to me. ?" Luffy said with a frown... "HAY! Are you really a human?!"

He looked down at us. _'What is he too good to speak?'_

"Hey! I'm asking you a question! So say something! Can't you talk!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with frustration.

'Oh dear… I think he's getting hungry again….'

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**End of Chapter 33. **

**Please leave a review and see you next time. :D**


	34. Sugar isn't Sweet

**Chapter 34 **

**Thankyou for all your comments, they are very appreciated. Don't worry it's not all going to be word for word copy-catting from Oda's script, I like adding and altering the original script, where it's needed. **

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Hard Lines: SKIPILIOUS CHAP, and Sugar isn't Sweet

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_(Oda's story)_

_Usopp and Robin witness the scary actions of Trebol and Sugar and go over a plan of attack. Leo states they will slip in a solid ball of the world's spiciest seasoning, Tatababasco, which they have made to look like a grape among Sugar's stash of regular grapes, which should be enough to knock her out and start the revolution. With that, Usopp allows Leo to commence carrying out the plan while Robin and he will back him up._

_Trebol notices a fly, and using his Devil Fruit ability, he shoots the fly with enough force to knock it through the wall of the office tower. This scares all the dwarves, but Leo boasts that even if he can hit a fly, he will not be able to hit him, and runs towards the tower. As the other dwarves and Usopp cheer Leo on, Robin stops him._

_Bian creates a distraction at the port with some pink hornets, and Robin reports the disturbance to Trebol, saying that some pirates are demanding to speak with an officer about their payment. Hearing this, Trebol wonders that they do not fear Joker. He notices that Robin is not the usual person reporting, but she simply lies, saying that the other person has gone to eat. She also says that some people have been wounded. Trebol leaves to take care of the situation, but posts extra guards with orders to notify him if anything happens._

_As they reach the office tower, the dwarves ask Usopp why he will not fight Sugar. He bluffs that if he were to fight, the battle would be over instantly. He also says that this will help them gain confidence, but if anything happens he will be there to help them defeat Sugar._

_Entering the tower, the dwarves quickly surround Sugar. They tell her that they will take back their companions enslaved in the factory, and that they will make her pay. She replies that she does not know what they are talking about, and the dwarves believe her without wondering about it. Usopp tells them she was fooling them, and Sugar wonders who told them, as they are too naive to realize it by themselves. She drops her basket of grapes, saying that she did not expect them to do anything for at least a year, and that somebody must have encouraged this, The dwarves charge at her, with the aim of holding her down and opening her mouth to feed her the tatababasco ball. Sugar is upset somewhat that the dwarves seem to think she is weak, just because she is a young girl. Some of the dwarves charge in, but she turns them into toy bears. She makes a contract with them, forcing them to obey her orders. Usopp, watching this, is shocked, but the rest of the dwarves lose all memory of the dwarves who were turned into toys, and it appears to them that a group of toys suddenly appeared before them. Sugar gives the toys orders to slaughter everyone in the tower. The toy dwarves do not want to fight their companions but cannot disobey the orders given by Sugar due to their contract. The dwarves charge at the toys, who try to tell them that they are their allies but are unable to._

**So, that was Wikipedia's recap of the Sugar incident. I think that is too long-winded, and I've decided that the team should be more efficient. **

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I pulled the Teddy with my soft-toy dog-mouth, to stop him from going over the edge, but once I dragged him away from the edge he just started walking back to it as if strings were pulling him.

I couldn't stop him any longer and he eventually pulled himself out of my grip and fell over the edge. I sat on the edge of the pit looking over it. Maybe… just maybe because he was a teddy he was able to survive, and when the girl, that changes people into toys, gets knocked out then he along with everyone else will get turned back. And he won't be broken…

I searched through the entire port, grabbing a few boxes on the way from place A to B, trying to fit in with the rest of the toys, but there were a few officers in green that order me to carry a few more boxes to another ship. That was tiresome as it wasted my time, but better to pretend that I was under their control, than letting them find out that they didn't have the same authority over me as they had over the others. Then I would have had to have an all out run from everyone in site, and I doubt that I would have been able to escape everyone.

I was eventually able to get away, and made my way to the center of the harbor. It was a large red building that had pipes coming down from the city above. I was able to come into the room and sneak behind a few screens, I saw dozens of people come down before her, apparently… I wrote down what I saw on the floor, with a bit of black charcoal from the shipyard, but I never remembered writing it and I only saw toys in front of me. _'Trust what you heard… Trust what you write.' _Of course I know the power of this girl I was changed myself, but it's still strange to see how easily she could do it.

I looked about me and watched her and her companion, a very slimy, sticky, sickly person, throw his snot power everywhere. It was revolting to see, but interesting to observe. '_What is their weakness? How can I attack them?'_

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Suddenly, I saw a huge foot appear out of the ceiling. The entire crowd of toys at the ship port screamed and tried to run for cover. But the foot wasn't after them; rather it was after one building. It swung back as if getting ready for a long kick in the game of football, and then to swung forward kicking a huge domed building. The ball of the foot landed on the roof so that was relatively undamaged.

'_I recognize that power. Nico Robin. She actually went in for an all out attack._' Trebol came out of the building just into time to receive the second blanch of the attack. He splattered against her foot and seeped in between the toes. The foot disappeared and arms came out of the boats everywhere in the harbor and started emptying the contents into the sea. The crew shot at the arms, but they disappeared as soon as they had achieved their mission and reappeared elsewhere. Determined to find his mess-maker Trebol roared with rage muttering in his belchy, winy voice how dare anyone come against Doflamingo and that he would pay for it.

'_Yeah… those arms and legs are definitely a woman's, how stupid can you get.'_ I looked back at Sugar. '_Now would be a perfect time to attack the girl, but now I wasn't sure how I would do it. Do I drop something from above onto her? Do I distract her with… What if she can complete a contract with me, as she has been able to with everyone else in this harbor?'_

I came down from my perch and saw hidden in a passage very close to the building a large group of people that looked kitted out for … a war of some kind. They were a large community of Tortella's surrounding a sweating Usopp. '_Wow! What a stroke of luck._' I walked over towards them._ 'What had Wicca said… this was operation SOP right?'_

They all looked alarmed when I appeared in front of them, as if I might just turn them over to Sugar. "I am a member of Operation SOP." I said quietly, raising my paw. "You have a brilliant distraction right now, it is the perfect time to act upon a plan of attack. I assume you have one."

A little person, with a cute pointy nose spoke up. "We are going to put this into her bowl it's the hottest spice in the world and it will knock her out."

I looked at him unable to utterly crush his innocent idea. '_We are talking about a person that probably has a form of haki and they think they can get through their defenses and then leave it to chance.'_

"That's a brilliant idea, but wouldn't it just be quicker if we force fed it to her?"

"Huh!?" They all looked shocked by the idea.

'_Why are they so loud?! And why didn't they think of that plan from the start?'_

"Who are you really?" Usopp spoke up suspicious of me.

'He's questioning me? … Well, even if I told him he wouldn't remember me anyway.' "I'm a person who was,… no is a captain of the marines and I'm going to get revenge on this pirate scum, for what they have done, if it's the last thing I do."

"Pufffhhh!" Usopp looked like he was about to burst out laughing. "You are a marine?"

"Yes, and you will end up for worse off than me if you don't take this seriously. Don't come into these situations if you're not ready to put your life on the line."

He shut up then, and I turned back to the little people. "She can turn any living person into a toy, so it makes sense if you were to throw something heavy down on her from above, or if you could somehow use another means of attacking her besides your own bodies, an alternative object…" I thought about it for a moment. '_I don't really want to go in myself. I already knew that I could cause much damage, hell I couldn't even stop a teddybear from walking over a cliff edge. But I'm happy to support someone else who has a better plan of attack. I really should have tried to find these people before. It's a good job I found them now. It would have been awful if they went in to battle her with that plan of attack.'_

"Um…. I …" Usopp stuttered.

"What?" I was starting to get a little impatient with him.

"I … I …I … I… have… I have these seeds that … when I throw them a certain way,… can grow into people eating plants… " He pulled a pouch up from behind him and all the little people gathered around him with starry eyes.

"Wow! You are so powerful Usopplando!"

"That should be perfect." I nodded, my toy dog ears flopping back and forth. I pointed to the doorway nodding. "Throw them in then, and make them catch her, then the others…" I looked back at the rest of them. "You must make sure she can't escape from the plant and that her hands aren't free, and then you," I looked at the little guy, "You put the grape into her mouth and knock her out with its power."

"Hum!" They all agreed. '_What would they have done without me?'_

Usopp stood at the entrance slightly shaking. I touched his foot with my paw. He looked down at me. "Remember, you are a master sniper. You can get her with one hit, just remember your speed."

"Hum…" He nodded and scratched the tip of his nose. And breathed out reading himself for the rush.

He leapt forward, "Ketchup star! …." He yelled a whole bunch of names and different things at the girl and she avoided some, got some stuck full in the face, and then as I thought she might just be able to get away, a huge plant sprung up out of the ground and wrapped itself around her and seemed to eat the girl where she stood.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed, pulling and tugging on the plant's wrapping vines. And looking behind me I saw loads of Doflamingo's people rush over towards us including Trebol.

'_Damn. I thought we'd have more time than this.'_ A few guns were shot and I jumped out of the way to avoid getting hit. Something heavy landed on my left leg and I couldn't move it. '_Damn! Come on guys! You can do this.'_

Trebol landed heavily at the entrance, and before he entered another foot came down from above kicking him into the wall on the outside. It was disgusting watching him get splattered, but he just reformed himself as soon as he could. The knock into the wall made the metal bend under the pressure, and whatever had landed on my leg moved and I was able to shift a little bit, before some of the ceiling came down and landed on my back.

'_**Unlucky much? You're going to die a dog.'**_

Then as if they had been practicing for their entire lives, the thousands of little people that had run into the room before Robin kicked the doorframe out of shape, came up to Sugar with their tiny pins and jabbed them into her skin causing her to yell in fright. They sewed her clothing to the plant and she was unable to move. As soon as it started it ended when a tiny person put a purple grape into her mouth.

Sugar blanked out and her head fell forward.

I felt the pressure on my legs intensify as my body expanded under the rubble. It was heavy and my leg felt well and truly jammed. I looked at my hands and was relieved to see them again. '_Even if I am feeling pain, at least it's real.'_

More clumps of the ceiling fell down and smashed into the plant that Usopp had grown in the floor, breaking it and letting Sugar fall loose. As if by sheer stroke of bad luck Sugar woke up again, and using a pair of scissors that she just so happened to have in her pocket cut herself out of the threads that were still holding her too the plant. She had her tongue out as if she was trying to be sick.

I saw her out of the corner of my eye, while I tried to get myself free. '_I can't get up… I'm too damn stuck. But that spice… they said should have knocked her out flat.'_

Now Usopp, who had been hit with the falling ceiling pieces as well, saw Sugar stand up and with a bleeding forehead as she made her way over to him, and he just lay down there pretending to be dead. She no doubt intended to start taking people back and turning them into toys, she was most probably really mad. Unfortunately, the little people stood up and started charging her. '_No!'_

I managed to wiggle a little out from under the rubble and finally my boot was abled to be pulled free. I picked up a broken piece of piping and threw it at her head. Luckily it struck home and she tumbled away from Usopp and landed hand first on Trebel who was unlucky enough to have been just flung through the main doorway, and lying flat down and his face got touched by Sugar and he became a toy instantly.

She jumped up, and looked confused, obviously it was rare for people to throw things at her. She walked back towards Usopp and bent over him double-checking whether or not he was in fact dead. He opened his eyes hoping that the danger might have passed and upon seeing her green-haired head peering over him, gave us all such an ear piercing scream that we shuddered from the fear and the raw emptiness that rolled out from his voice and those that had been knocked out woke up and those that had been too near covered there heads and ears. I felt my skin crawl as I heard his shrill voice echo throughout the room. It had an odd effect on Sugar too, unluckily for her, who was right in front of him, got the full impact of his scream right in her face. Obviously being utterly taken aback by the screech, she screamed as well and from shock passed out.

I was finally able to move out from under the broken roof and stood up. '_I'm human again! Damn my legs are wobbly, left one feels odd.'_ My hand went to the floor beside me and surprisingly enough my sword was right there where I had fallen. I picked it up, and attached the scabbard to my belt again. _'It feels so good to be standing again this way, I had no idea I'd miss being me so much.'_

Having Sugar pass out a second time meant that the convenient conversion of Trebol to toy was only temporary. He reformed and stood up. He looked fuming mad. I got Shigure out and ready.

'_How can I battle this opponent? What is his weakness?_' I looked back at Usopp passed out on the floor. _'Does he have any other explosives or strange weapons in his bag that could be ideal for this guy?'_

I leapt over to him with my sword hand extended ready to defend of any attack. I pulled up his bag and reached my hand inside… '_Bad move…_' I felt something large and soft, and my finger-nail pierced it accidently in my rush, and it seemed to swallow my hand in gunk.

I screamed and pulled my hand free from the bag, dropping it back down on Usopp, thankfully nothing spilled from it. It looked like a huge black-beetle-like seed and it kept on growing in a sort of soggy like way. My arm felt suddenly weak as if the blood was being sucked out of it… which might, for all I know, actually be happening.

I suddenly felt a presence behind me as well and turned just in time to see snot face guy standing there.

"You're not with the strawhats!?" He glared. "But you will feel the pain of Doflamingo's displeasure!" Gunk splattered out of his body and covered me from head to toe, I shielded my face before it could cover my mouth, but it wouldn't be long…

To my surprise, the black seed that had attached itself to my arm broke off and seeded itself into the moistury substance and became larger. "Nuehhhh!?" He said slightly curious as to what had just attached itself to him.

I felt backwards, still pulling at the sticky substance that Trebol had splattered on me. '_Get off! Get off! I can't use my sword on something like this.'_

The seed became larger and larger, seeming to suck up the moisture from the area. The little people seemed to realize that I was in trouble and darted towards me trying their best to stay out of the gunk.

.

.

It eventually stopped growing at a full four meters in diameter and Trebol had been half pulled in. He looked like he was about as horrified at the experience as I had been, for it seemed to been designed to somehow… lock onto the source of energy from a particular person, not any item itself. _'But,… it seems satisfied… as if it has had it's full.'_

I stood up again on shaky feet my right arm and left leg both feeling cold. My scar from the Harpy woman was hurting too. I pulled my shirt down a little to look at it again, it had gone a white-blue colour. It felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time.

I looked around the wrecked room. '_Well,… that was all over a whole lot sooner than I thought it would be. Good job no one wasted any time.'_ The room was an awful mess and the now I saw Hundreds of little people jump up and down just to the right of me rejoicing, and then rushing to Usopp's side.

I walked slowly to the edge of the ruined building and looked out in the direction of the harbor. Thousand of people, pirates, citizens, sailors and soldiers where all standing up one after the other. I heard crying, I heard rejoicing, I heard people yell, for the first time in ten years. Anyone who had been a possible threat or who had found out the truth or who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time had been touched and turned. I felt relieved and furious, at what had happened.

I walked towards Usopp and the child on the floor, trying hard not to step on any of the little pixie people. I looked down at the child that still had the look of shock over her face. It looked strange, unnatural as if the girl had never made any face like that before as if she had only ever had one expression before.

'_Well,… since Doflamingo took over this place 'ten years ago' He has had this person changing people into toys. I can't believe that this … this… child-like person has ruined the lives of so many people!' _I felt myself going mad with bitterness and it took me a lot of self-control to not pick her up and throw her into one of her own piles of rubbish that she and her 'family' had set aside for people that spoke out of line and remembered themselves and the truth.

'_She looked so innocent, so adorable, and yet she could do all this._' It was punk hazard all over again._ 'That Harpy women with the 'Happy' t-shirt had simply sat around helping Caesar experiment on innocent children, with no regret or punishment. Not caring if they lived or died. No! Expecting them all to die. Don't these people feel any remorse for what they're doing? Don't they feel that what they're doing is wrong and cruel?! How does a person get to that point of no return? What happens in their hearts to allow such cruelty to pass them by without them batting an eyelid.'_ I clenched my fist and breathed out trying hard to release my anger. _'No one had that right! The right to take away someone's life and give them a new one forcing them to work for them.'_

"It's Usopplando! Usopplando knocked out Sugar!" A loud chorus of cheers ran out from among the little people and Usopp stood up, just barely with the help of his tiny fans. And raised his hands to them all causing a shriek of approval to spread across the room.

"Take me to the edge of the building."

There had been a muttering and fresh communicating between the people in the docks and Usopp feeling obliged to let them all know what happened. He stood up, being supported by the little people, from the gravel and ruins of the red building.

"It is I!" He said loud and clear. "Lost people of Dressrosa and captives to the Scum-King Doflamingo! I and my friends have set you free!"

"YEAH!" Came a deafening cry of cheers, joy, and laughter.

'_I found it almost unbearable to be a toy dog for a day, but these people have been so called pets, and toys for years!...'_

"It's time for the rest of Dressrosa to know who you are!" he said pointing at the opening in the roof that Robin had made larger with her foot stamp. "GO FORTH! AND FEAR NO SO CALLED KING OF DRESSROSA!"

"YEAH!" The crowds were sounding loud around him, and thousands of men and women, tired of being used, and being nobodies, rushed forward for freedom and for a chance to be remembered. Usopp absoulutely exhausted sat back down.

"Hello glasses, what rock did you spring out from?" Robin said coming up to my side. She was holding her arm. _'I hope she hasn't broken it._'

She held out up a box in front of me. "Perhaps this would be convenient."

I opened it, "Where did you get this?" I said, lifting a pair of sea stone cuffs out of the lead container.

"I have my ways." She nodded. I noticed then that her arms had a lot of scratches and red marks everywhere. '_Did this mean that whatever happens to her fake arms, happens to hers as well?'_

I cleared my throat. "I've been here for a little while now, but you have no idea how glad I was to see you causing mayhem. I don't know how those guys would have pulled off any sort of attack otherwise." I looked back at Usopp and his minions.

"Hmmm. He has always been one to soak up credit when he can." She giggled.

I bent down and clamped the cuffs over Sugar's wrists and lifted her up. "We've got what we came for now lets go."

"You're not going to leave her?"

"What!" I shook my head. "What idiot in their right mind would do that! After all the effort that went into knocking out a girl that never sleeps in order to cancel her devil fruit ability, do you really think I'll just leave her here with the chance, that she will not be rescued, that she will not wake up, and she won't course havoc again?"

Robin smiled. "I see your point Glasses."

I scowled. "Stop calling me that. It's weird."

"You think ahead in these sorts of circumstances." She added with her small smirk. "Or maybe you just have a thing about punishing people and being punished yourself?..."

I frowned. _'What the hell is she talking about_?' "I have no idea what goes on in all you stawhats' heads sometimes. Anyway, I seek justice, and it doesn't matter what someone looks like or who they are. They need to uphold the law."

Robin looked out at the swarm of people, and gripping her arms, sat down. As if on instinct I let go of Sugar and sat down beside her as well. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," She nodded. "I just need some time to rest up." She looked out on everyone and continued. "But this was the law, it is their leader who initiated this; their king who imprisoned them, and kept them here. In this situation we are the ones breaking the law, and destroying his order."

"Not everyone is from this country they were visiting, and is therefore not under the law of the king. They are exempt from punishment by the king. So what he has done… the World Government will not tolerate all this kidnapping, imprisoning, and enslaving, it was outlawed hundreds of years ago." I started. "Even if they're pirates, and explorers they should have no right to hold them. As a Warlord of the Sea, Doflamingo is entitled to kill other pirates, and to accept them onto his crew and put them under the same principles that the World Government have given him, but not to enslave them." Saw a few familiar white coats and hats. "And there are marines that have come here too. Does he think that the Marines don't have records? That we won't look for missing people. Does he think we'll just right it off as unimportant, when someone disappears?"

"I think once you've forgotten something is important, and there is just a document for it that tells you it is. You're more likely to believe your memory than any piece of paper, especially if it's supposed to be someone you know. You'd probably just throw it out as unnecessary or a fake, a laughable fraud." She said.

"I don't think I would." I said.

"Hmmmm." Robin looked thoughtful. "Besides,…" She looked around the harbor indicating them all with her arms. "…what better people to turn into toys and keep as slaves. The Marines turn a blind eye to pirates who go missing hoping they just died or have been murdered, Pirates rejoice when Marines go missing hoping for the same, and explorers are mourned for a little while by those who love them, assumed them to be lost at sea, and then are forgotten about, because they were never home long enough to be valued by those that could have been close to them. So many things are assumed when someone crosses these waters. The waters of the Grand Line are truly treacherous."

She smiled looking as peaceful as one would when talking about the weather on a sunny day. "When you think about it is a very efficient and happy way to keep prisoners. You aren't locking them up and starving them, you're simply making everyone they knew forget their existence, making them forget what they might have missed. You could almost see it as a far kinder imprisonment, one that people in general wouldn't mind adopting."

"What!? How could you say that?!" I looked at her angrily.

"You don't think the marines wouldn't use some thing like this." She looked over and pointed at the shipyard again. "To force your prisoners to work for you without needing food or water, without anyone complaining that you need to free them, or trying to break in to free them because they had already been forgotten… well… while it lasted…" She smiled at the late idea, his great plan had just been ruined anyhow.

"I think this has served Doflamingo very well. Just think of all the prisoners at Impel Down that could have all be turned into toys and made to serve the World Government instead of just being allowed to sit around doing nothing. What is more profitable, useful, and morally sound I wonder. Giving criminals freedom to walk about the middle of the day, but not a voice to complain with or the body that they were born with; or not giving criminals enough food, or freedom, but leaving them in their bodies to see how much damage and change comes over them with every day of neglect, and so then they can see themselves become something else entirely."

She raised her eyes to the hole in the roof. "I think I would have preferred this where I lived… to the Buster Call."

"The what?" I frowned.

"The Buster Call." She said again. "Six Marine warships summoned to an island to destroy all its inhabitants and everything living on it."

"The what?" I shook my head in shock, "Look, I'm a Captain, and I have never heard of any such thing, and there would be no way that such a thing would ever be passed. It would hurt too many innocents."

'_I can't believe that. I just can't._' She looked back at me then and I saw a deep sadness in her sharp blue eyes that I hadn't noticed before.

"I was eight when I started researching the forbidden and lost history. I loved it, and my mother was apparently somewhere searching for the Poneglyphs, but the news spread that people on my Island were all traitors and students of the ancient ways." She didn't even flinch as she recounted the memory as if all traces of that past happened to another person. She raised her hand up as if trying to see further across in the underground harbor. "We had a huge tree, one of the eldest in the world, but it had been hollowed out, and on the inside of the tree was the largest library that has ever been…. It was burnt down that day. My mother was shot in the face, and I was allowed to escape, because I was a child, and an Admiral called Aokiji felt a little bit of compassion for me. But no one else was allowed to escape, not even the people who had reported the supposed crime to the marines their boats and ships were set a fire too, and I was somehow blamed for it." She laughed then. I was shocked at how she could find anything funny out of all of this.

"I have now always found it strange how that came about. I had been so distressed at the time. And then had a bounty put on my head. How, why? Well, I suppose they had to blame someone, and no one else survived to take the blame… It's quite humorous when you look at it. Blaming a child because you couldn't blame the dead? Why? I will never know."

I couldn't hold it back anymore. My eyes were leaking like a damn had been loosed, and I started crying. '_How could anyone do that!? To an entire community. To an entire Island? Not the Marines. Not us.'_

"Hey Glasses? What is the matter?" Robin put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!"… My tears were streaming down my face. "I don't want to believe it. That's horrible. That's so horrible. I can't believe that really happened. I never heard about that. How could they do that!? Maybe there's been some terrible mistake."

"No. There hasn't." Robin said matter-off-factly. "And it happened before you were born… so it doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't have heard of it, properly, they don't like keeping records that show themselves in a bad light."

"I'm so sorry." I sniffed, trying to wipe my shameful tears away. '_Why do I always cry too easily?_' "I always thought that it was so strange … that such a young person could hurt so many people. I never imagined that you might have been framed… that you weren't actually mean. I never heard your side of the story before." I took in another deep breath a picture of a child Robin watching her mother get shot in front of her flashed in front of my eyes. "I can't believe anyone would do that to a little girl."

Robin shook her head. "You forget that I have devil-fruit powers, and that instantly makes you less of a human, and more of a devilish monster that can't be trusted in many people's eyes. It seems in this world the only people who are allowed devil fruit powers are the marines and the people of authority. Anyone else who isn't under the banner of a known good authority is classified as an evil person, whether or not they actually are."

I frowned wanting to disagree, but she was correct. _'I was one of those people, I had seen so many gross misuses of devil fruit powers and the people that loved to exploit them on the population, that I immediately put anyone who had a devil fruit power into an 'enemy grouping list'.' _It had never occurred to me that I had become prejudice towards them all_. 'But then again they don't do themselves any favours when every devil-fruit user seems to be trying to use his or her powers to control anyone or everyone else.'_

"People have a good reason to doubt devil-fruit users. Are you forgetting how you prevented a squad of my marines from rescuing the King of Alabasta as you stood in our way snapping their legs, and arms, and necks and enjoying mocking me into the sand?" …. '_Oh dear… This isn't the best to bring that up Tashigi…'_

She looked sad. "No, I remember. I didn't enjoy it, but I … I suppose I was just trying to make you feel my pain. I wanted everyone to feel my pain."

I frowned. '_Trying to make me feel her pain?'_

"I was in a bad place then. I had given myself up to despair. I wanted to find the forbidden past, the Poneglyphs, that I was certain had been hidden in Alabasta. When I found it, it wasn't the right one I wanted. Everything that I had sort for, the forbidden history that my people had all died for, for simply trying to understand…" She looked at her fingers. "I was no closer to finding it, and another country was going to be destroyed once Crocodile got what he was looking for, so I lied…"

"What do you mean?"

She didn't answer my question but simply continued. "The only one to show me any compassion at that time was Luffy…" She smiled then, getting a small playful look over her face. "When I heard his name for the first time, it was almost love at first sight. I was interested in him for a long time and observed everything he and his crew did on Alabasta and after Crocodile tried to kill me and Luffy saved me… I stole onboard the strawhats' ship, and if you and the marines were shocked about the news of me joining the strawhats, you should have seen the faces of everyone on the crew when he said yes after I asked Luffy if I could join his crew." She giggled. "They lost a princess and they gained a devil."

I shook my head, slightly getting into Robin's crazy mind-set and humor. I smiled then imagining all their faces of horror. _'Because they would have been fighting her and crocodile as well at that time, she had been their enemy up to that point, it's strange how circumstances change people's points of view.'_

"It was one of the happiest moments of my life. Luffy's immediate acceptance of me, and everyone's shock. I loved it. I replayed the moment time and time again whenever I was tired, or needed a break from reading. It helped me to relax."

"Hmmm." I nodded. "It's strange how that works out. You'd think you wouldn't be able to get any time to relax with the strawhats would you?"

She nodded. "It's beautiful. Everyone I had ever been with since I had left my island only ever wanted me around if they could get something out of me. If they could use me to find something, but Luffy didn't ask for anything."

I questioned. "So… what was your happiest moment in your life? You said it was one of them."

She nodded. "Well, the best one was being ordered by Luffy that I needed to say 'I wanted to live.'"

I frowned. "There was a time you didn't want to live?..."

"Well, yes. I have wanted to die for the longest time, and I gave myself up to the marines in order to save the strawhat crew, but Luffy didn't want anything like that. He refused my resignation." She slapped either side of her face as if to wake herself up, which was so unlike her it made me jump. She laughed at me.

"You know being with you makes me feel young again."

"You're not old you know."

"No… but I'm not as young as the rest of them. If only I had remained ten years younger at that time, or if Luffy was ten years older I could really work on encouraging his manliness. He's so cute when he's possessive."

"What?"

"You don't think he has a certain adorable cuteness to him." Robin asked.

I frowned trying to think of Luffy being in any romantic relationship. "I suppose… I just haven't really thought about it."

"Of course not." She said her blue eyes sparkling as she stood up, and looked down at me. "Your eyes are on our swordsman, and who can blame you."

"Hummmh!" I turned away from her, feeling flustered and rudely intruded. "That's not true, I don't care about Zoro! We just have a few more things in common with each other than other people, that's all!"

"Like falling all over each other, blushing when you catch glipses, trying to get the other to admit their feelings for you. It's been really funny watching you two spying, and then trying to ignore on each other. It's so cute, it kills me." She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I think you're imagining things." I stood, and bent down to pick up the bound Sugar. "As soon as we're done here I'm going back to the marines."

"If you say so." She shrugged. "Meanwhile we should get back to the others before the swarm of missing people fill the streets. Do you want me to carry her?" A few arms came out of her shoulders and they made a sort of baby cradle like thing in front of her.

"No I can carry her." I turned away from her and tried making my own way to an exit, there was so much rubble now it was hard to tell where we should go next.

"You're a very sensible woman. Aren't you?" Robin asked after me. _'Is she trying to poke fun at me again?'_

"Well, I'd just call it common sense… Well, that's what I think it is… but maybe common sense isn't really common anymore. Because being sensible is no longer something that should be assumed as necessary to everyone, it has to learned." I frowned feeling the wait of the world on my shoulders. "Too many people in this world are nutcases, and they drag everyone down with them."

Robin laughed. "Huluhaluhaluhalu!"

It was so strange to hear this laugh I almost fell over. "Did I say something funny?" I asked looking behind me at her.

"Not at all. Captain glasses. Not at all." She smiled, "Wait stop!"

"Huh?" I asked just as I felt my head collide with a collapsed doorframe. '_Damn! That hurts!'_

She could hardly hold herself back from laughing. "Maybe you need to learn some more common sense Tashigi, and look where you're going."

"Damn it!" I bent down and squatted on my knees and clutched my head with my hands. _'It's not too bad, I'll get over it soon enough, but it really hurts just now.'_

She came up behind me and patted me on the head. "Are you okay Tashi?"

"Don't be patronizing! Of course I am." I stood back up, ignoring the throbbing and shifting Sugar's weight under my arm I carried on walking. '_That was just too embarrassing.'_ "You're not going to remind me of this incident ever! Okay."

She laughed to herself. "I can't make any such promise." She said, "But I will say 'you need to keep your eyes on the dark path ahead of you.'"

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**Hope you liked that. That's 7,102 words.**

**Wish me the Best of luck guys!**

**It's gonna get busy.**


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